Between Two Hearts
by SilentThunder086
Summary: She was Thomas' Andrews fiery niece. He was Titanic's fifth officer. The Ship of Dreams brought them together, but are they strong enough to survive the inevitable? [FINAL CHAPTER ADDED...edit 8905 read inside! : ]
1. Under the Stars

DISCLAIMER: All the recognizable characters you see in this story aren't mine. The only one I can really claim is Siobhan, so if you want to use her just ask me! I generally won't have any problem!

NOTE: I know this storyline has basically been used millions of times (guy meets girl, they fall in love, Titanic sinks, total devastation) but this is different! I promise!

And…the historically accurate factor…I'm taking an artistic license and changing things up a bit. You'll see what I'm talking about.

SUMMARY: Siobhan Andrews is the fiery niece of Thomas Andrews. Harold Lowe is the young, courageous Fifth Officer of the Titanic. The Ship of Dreams truly brought them together, but are they strong enough to withstand the inevitable?

PROLOGUE: Under the Stars

April 15th, 1912

3 a.m.

The cries of the passengers began to subside gradually, leaving the only sound of the night to be the little splashes of those just barely hanging on to dear life. The passengers in the half-submerged Collapsible A lifeboat could only hope that they would stay up until a rescue boat came along. One was on its way, or so whispers had said.

Even though the majority of the passengers on board the collapsible were third class and male, there was one female third class passenger on board and very few crewmen. Everything that would have helped them was submerged, so they were basically stuck with very few provisions and no oars.

One of the men turned and looked over to the side when he heard a splashing sound next to the boat. "Siobhan," he said while suddenly standing up. There were shouts as more water came in and one of the crewmen commanded him to get back down.

"But you don't understand…this is my friend Siobhan Andrews…we have to help her." He pointed back to a body of one of the passengers, most visibly dead. "If we put him overboard and bring her in, we will be losing some of the weight that is weighing us down into the water…"

However, the seaman knew that the woman who he was speaking of was indeed the niece of Thomas Andrews, the master shipbuilder. There was talk amongst the crew over the past days of the beautiful Irishwoman who did not believe in class distinction even though she was sailing in the first cabin with her uncle. "Make it so," he said. "Slowly put the body overboard and then bring her in." There was a cry from another one of the passengers, who seemed to have a bond with the person who had died. "You will restrain yourself, sir," he said, "or you will be joining him. Siobhan," he said turning to her. The stories were true - she was a head-turner, but it was apparent that she was in an immense pain from the cold. "We need you to hold down this side so we can keep the boat at an equal level." She nodded and prepared herself to climb up and hold down the boat, whimpers already coming from her direction.

The exchange took place successfully. She took a seat next to her friend, who gave her his jacket in an attempt to get her somewhat warmed. She tucked her feet under her legs in order to get them out of the cold water.

"I'm so tired, Owen…"

"Don't say that, Siobhan," he said turning to her. "Lowe would not want you to say that. You must stay awake until at least morning. A rescue ship is on its way."

She smiled as best as she could when he mentioned Lowe. The last few days were so magical, and he played a big part of that. "DidMoody make it?"

"I don't know," her friend said ominously. "All of the boats were gone when I made it up to the deck. They were trying to get these boats off of the decks…"

She nodded, not really listening to the story. Her only true father was gone, many other people were dying as they spoke, and she was trying not to become one of them. She focused her mind on recalling the events of the past days in an attempt to keep her mind active…


	2. Departure

****

Shout-outs will be at the bottom of the chapters!

CHAPTER 1: Departure

Wednesday, April 10, 1912

8 a.m.

The concept of silence was not a concept at the hotel room of Siobhan Andrews, niece of the Master Shipbuilder of the Titanic. Today she was due to join her uncle…her pseudo-father on board his ship and journey with him on board the splendor that he had created. He had managed to obtain permission to leave the ship in order to make sure she got onboard and settled before the ship departed.

"Uncle Thomas…" a woman in her early 20's called to the man who was frantically making sure everything was packed. "Uncle Thomas, the car is waiting for us. If we don't hurry we'll never get there before the other passengers." She appeared in the doorway, eyeing her relative.

She brushed a lock of her fiery red hair out of her face as she adjusted her emerald-green dress. Yes, if there was ever a stereotypical "Irish-woman" then she was it. Siobhan was the niece of the famed shipbuilder, daughter of the so-called "black sheep" of the Andrews family. Her love for the sea was the main reason why she had become so close with her uncle and now she was finally getting the chance to see America for the first time in her life - a dream of many of her friends.

"I do believe that everything is together, Siobhan."

"Uncle Thomas, will you stop worrying? Come on, let's go!" It surely seemed that the younger of the two was the least worried about today. The man picked up his bags and followed his traveling companion outside, waiting to let her shut the door behind him.

It only took them about an hour to get to the docks. As Siobhan looked out the window, she could see that the passengers had just started to arrive. The apparent class distinction was obviously there - the first cabin passengers, in their splendor and their servants following behind walked up the gangplank. The third cabin passengers were going through a health check and all the necessary precautions before they were even allowed to think about going onboard. She knew that the docks would be jam-packed with people over the next couple of hours or so…after all, the ship left at high noon.

The door opened and her uncle appeared before her, extending his hand. She took it and stepped down into the sunlight. "There it is," he said beaming. "Titanic. We've spent so long on her and now the time has come for her maiden voyage." He extended his arm and she took it, smiling. She had read numerous letters from her uncle describing the hardships and toil that it had taken to actually build her.

As they stepped up onto the gangplank, she squeezed her uncle's arm. "I'm really proud of you, Uncle Thomas. We're going to enjoy this voyage even if I have to tear you away from your work."

Her uncle laughed as they approached the end of the gangplank. There they were greeted by one of the officers who was preparing to receive the enormous flow of first-class passengers. "Hello, Mr. Moody!" Thomas said with a smile on his face.

"Good morning, Mr. Andrews. I'm presuming this is your niece?"

"Yes, I am," she said. "Siobhan Andrews."

He took her hand and gently brushed his lips across her knuckles. "It is a wonder to meet the beauty who the shipbuilder has spoken so highly of."

"You're too kind, sir," she said as she quickly changed the subject, giving him her boarding pass.

"Okay…let's see here…ahh, yes. Miss Andrews, you will be roomed in cabin C-72. I shall send one of the stewards to make sure your bags get there safely." He turned his attention to include her uncle. "Will we be seeing you tonight?"

Siobhan looked over to her uncle with a confused look. "Yes, we will be there at eight." With that, he gave a curt nod to the sixth officer.

"Wonderful," Moody said in response. "Siobhan, if you ever need anything please don't hesitate to ask any of the ship's officers. Captain Smith has given us permission to accompany you if the situation calls for it after your uncle informed us of the booking error." She nodded as her uncle pulled her off, taking her to her cabin.

"What did he mean about the 'booking error?' What's going on tonight?" Siobhan looked over to her uncle who had a smile on his face.

"Well, my dear, I am traveling on the A deck. I only found out that you were traveling on the C deck last night. I talked to E.J. … the Captain and he said that any of the officers, including himself, would be more than happy to escort you places, provided it doesn't take away from any of their duties on the bridge."

"…and tonight?"

"Well, tonight most of the officers will be eating at the Captain's table…of course, with exception to the officer on watch. We have been invited to join them. It will be a celebration of the beginning of the Titanic's maiden voyage."

"Wonderful," she said as a smile crossed her face. She knew that the first class ladies would be looking for a "knight in shining armor" to accompany her through the entirety of the voyage. Even though she would have appreciated the actions she would have much preferred the relaxed atmosphere of the third cabins, where people did not worry about how much money you had or how big your name was in society - you were who you were.

Her uncle must have noticed her patented "wishing look" because he spoke up quietly, "I know that you have a low tolerance for the snobbery of the first class passengers, Siobhan. I was lucky to get another ticket in the same class as myself so I can at least keep you near me. Even though it is my hope that you find a man to your liking while onboard to escort you, I know that you will like the officers. They all are really wonderful gentlemen and I encourage you to get to know them."

As they both walked along the quiet corridors of the ship, she could not stop gaping at the splendor that was the Grand Staircase. They walked down to the C deck and soon enough found her cabin. "Well, here we are. I do believe that your things have arrived before we have. Feel free to come up to the bridge at noon, when we are leaving Southampton. You may end up meeting some more of the officers there. Plus, it will give you a chance to explore the ship even more."

She nodded as she turned the key in the lock. "I'll be up at the bridge at noon. I'll see you then, Uncle Thomas." With that, she went inside and shut the door as her uncle continued down the hall, looking for some more objects to examine for any possible defects.

* * *

"Two minutes, sir."

Captain Smith checked his watch for what seemed like the fiftieth time that morning. "Sound the horn," he commanded, looking down upon the frenzied crowd. He glanced over to the shipbuilder with a smile. "Is something wrong, Mr. Andrews? Maybe it was not a good idea to have you up here when we launched…"

"No, no…it's not that, sir. I asked Siobhan to join us up here and I'm wondering where she is."

"Maybe Miss Andrews got sidetracked and lost track of time. We will be departing in less than a minute…"

"I'm sorry, Uncle…" a voice called out from the entrance. "That is exactly what happened - I was unpacking and I lost track."

"Well come in, Miss Andrews. We are just preparing to leave." The captain smiled and walked over to the port wing, signaling to the deckhands to pull the gangplanks away. She walked over to her uncle's side as the ship pulled away from the dock. An immense cheer rang up from the crowds both on and off of the ship. The crew up on the bridge began congratulating the Captain, Mr. Andrews, and not to mention each other for a seamless start to the voyage.

"Siobhan, this is Captain E.J. Smith, Chief Officer Wilde, First Officer Murdoch…"

Her uncle's introductions to the officers on the bridge were cut short as they all heard shouts coming from the forecastle deck and on the boat deck. This gained the attention of all on the bridge, especially the captain and the guests of honor. A ship had broken free of her linings; presumably from the suction **caused** by the Titanic and was swinging towards their ship.

"Reverse port propeller!!!"

The officers sprung into action as the crew members outside began to throw collision mats off onto the port side. There was an eerie silence as they watched the other ship's stern begin to make its way towards the Titanic. Soon enough, however, the other stern was caught and the ship was moved off to a safe dock.

"Uncle Thomas," Siobhan said turning to her uncle. She noticed that he had paled when he saw the potential collision. "Uncle Thomas, its okay. These things happen. Titanic is safe."

The fourth officer who was on the bridge at the time walked over to them. "Is he all right?" This man didn't seem to be too much older than Siobhan was. He was a fairly good looking man with brown eyes and a build which made him almost right for sea life.

"Yes," she said looking up into his eyes. Her blue eyes locked onto his as she said, "He just needs to calm down and not let this ruin his voyage."

He nodded, glanced over to Mr. Andrews, and turned back to her. "Well, Miss Andrews, we must finish the introductions that were begun before this event. I am Harold Lowe, the fifth officer." He took her hand and, in a similar fashion to Mr. Moody, gently kissed it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lowe."

"Please…call me Harold. I look forward to getting to know you during this voyage."

"As do I," she said with a smile. "But, if you'll excuse me, I must get my uncle out to the deck. Maybe the sea air will do him good." With that, she took her uncle by the arm and led him out of the bridge. She didn't notice behind her the highly amused looks that the fifth officer was getting from his superiors.

* * *

Later on that evening, Siobhan took a quick walk on the A-deck promenade and took in the shorelines of France. She had never seen such a wonder in the 21 years of her life, and her world was rapidly expanding to include bits of southern England, northern France, her homeland Ireland, and soon America. Leaning on the edge of the deck, she heard the bugle call from the deck above, announcing that it was time to get ready for dinner.

She sighed, saying to herself that she could never understand the nature of the bugle call to time their meals. It didn't take her long to get back to her room, thanks to her newly-gained knowledge of the first cabin.

Coming in from the Aft Grand Staircase, she saw that there was a young gentleman moving in next to her and a couple (who she deemed to be his parents) who was next to him. She saw him go inside his room and didn't give a thought to it until she got up to her door.

"Hello…" the teenager's voice came from right next to her.

She turned to face him. "Hello there."

"I'm John Thayer, Jr. Everyone calls me Jack, though…to distinguish me from my father."

"Siobhan Andrews," she said with a smile. This boy seemed to be a really interesting character…

He took her hand and kissed her knuckles…so was the custom with first class ladies, she mused. "Are you going to be coming to dinner?" she asked with just a hint of curiosity.

"We shall," he said. "We will be a little bit late because we have to draw out our dinner clothing, but we will be there. We couldn't miss the wonderful dinner which we've heard so much about…" She nodded as he asked, "Would you care to join us at our table?"

"I appreciate the offer," she said, "But I am going to be joining my uncle at the officer's table. Maybe tomorrow night?" She opened the door before she turned back to him, ready to bid a temporary farewell.

He nodded, accepting her new offer. "I shall inform my parents. It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Andrews. I look forward to this voyage."

"As do I," she said before ducking into her room and closing the door behind her. She turned and saw the maid, there to help her with the daunting task of dressing.

A half hour or so later, Siobhan was waiting for her uncle to stop by her room. It was just about time for dinner to begin. She had changed into a sapphire blue dress with the help of the maid and was just pulling her hair up into a sapphire-encrusted clip (a gift from her grandmother) when she heard a knock on the door. Her uncle was late.

She got up and walked over to the door, telling her uncle that he was running late before opening the door. "Uncle Thomas, did you get caught up with the inaccuracies of the screws in the staterooms or something? You're running late…"

She opened the door and noticed that the man standing there was wearing an officer's uniform. She looked up to see the identity of her visitor and was met with a pair of brown eyes…the brown eyes from earlier.

It was none other than Harold Lowe himself.

****

Yellow-faith: Yep, you are correct! Lowe was the one who went back and looked for survivors, though she doesn't know that necessarily. Plus there is some significance to the events of her boarding Collapsible A… that's all I'm going to say on that! ;)

Liz: lol - here's your chapter! Is it long enough for you? Its 6 pages…which is saying a lot for me! I've got great plans for this story… but my lips are sealed! :-X _I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll get the next one out ASAP… (and it'll have more Lowe in it - promise!)_

:-X 


	3. Bittersweet Reflections

Okay…another disclaimer here peoples! The song later in this chapter is "Lift the Wings" from Riverdance. I have no talent when it comes to penning a song of that beauty, but I felt that it would fit this chapter. Her family is also totally fictional - Thomas had an older brother named John…not the brother you will read about. Also, for those of you who don't know how to say the heroine's name, it's not at all like the spelling. It is basically Shiv-ahn. For those of you who already know how to say it, well, more power to ya. Lol - here's the story! This chapter goes out to yellow-faith and Liz, both of who seem to be the only people reading it! nudges other readers Come on…I know there are more of you reading it… I like reviews! They inspire me to stay up to all hours of the night writing this work in order for me to get it out for everyone! Flames will just help the Titanic move to a speedier death, which means for a shorter story…and we don't want that now, do we? Well, here's the chapter! Enough of my rambling! Shout-outs are at the bottom!

Chapter 2 - Bittersweet Reflections

"Oh…um, hello…Harold, is it? Please excuse me if it isn't…I'm quite terrible with names… Where's Uncle Thomas? He's supposed to be here now…"

A smile crept across his face as he greeted her. "Your uncle got caught up with some business elsewhere on the ship and he asked me to come and get you. He sends his apologies, but he will meet us at the Grand Staircase in the reception area."

She nodded as she turned and went back into her room. He pushed open the door as she called out, "I'm almost ready. You can come in if you please…just leave the door open."

Sure, he **did** want to come in and see a first class stateroom for himself, but he chose to stay out in the hall. After all, the lady was in her own stateroom, was just about her age, and he had to keep a certain…distance from the single female passengers.

It only took her a few minutes to finish getting ready. The next thing that Lowe knew she was at the door. "Ready?" she asked with a smile. He returned the smile and held out his arm. She instantaneously latched onto it and the two slowly made their way to the Grand Staircase; deep in a conversation about how the other's voyage was going on the first day out.

It did not take long for Thomas to find his niece and the fifth officer, who were both deep in the conversation that had started back at stateroom C-72. "Ahh," he said with a smile as he approached the two. "Mr. Lowe, I see that you have found my niece's stateroom with ease. The other officers have already begun to arrive. The Captain's Table is right this way…"

He looked over to his relative and raised an eyebrow. She caught the look that he gave her and responded with a nod while simultaneously moving her right hand up to rest on his arm. Thomas, with a slight smile on his face, nodded and stepped off to the side in order to let the pair through. Lowe nodded his thanks to him and they walked into the dining hall, followed closely by the Master Shipbuilder.

"Ahh, Mr. Andrews! Miss Andrews! Its good of you to join us!"

All the attention at the table turned to the new arrivals. Siobhan could see that indeed there were seven officers of the ship present (including Captain Smith) as well as a few men of whom she presumed were of a high station in the affairs of the ship.

She dropped her arm when she felt Lowe move forward and pull out a chair for her. She smiled at his actions and, while her uncle took the seat next to her, sat down and smiled back up at Lowe after she was securely in. "Thank you," she said quietly as he stepped around Sixth Officer Moody (who was to the other side of her) and took the last empty chair.

"Well, now that everyone has arrived, I would like to begin by thanking Thomas Andrews for building the ship which has given us all the chance to dine here tonight." Captain Smith started off the dinner with a sort of "thank you speech." As he spoke, Siobhan already began to feel the drag of the evening beginning to occur. She scanned the table and noticed that there was a vast majority of all men - in fact it was all men, save her.

"Miss Andrews."

The sudden call brought her out of her lull. She turned and looked in the direction of the man who had warranted her attention. "Please tell us about yourself. I'm sure we would all love to learn about the lady who has had to put up with Mr. Andrews over the past year or so…"

"Mr. Ismay…" her uncle started, wanting to protest his invocation. Siobhan put a hand to her uncle's arm and began where he left off.

"Mr. Ismay, what my uncle means to say is that there is not much that is to be known about me. I am Siobhan Andrews, niece to Thomas Andrews, and I am the sense of reason for him on this voyage. I was born and spent most of my childhood in Queenstown, Ireland. I lived with my uncle in Belfast from the age of 12 onwards to the present. I hope to go to America with Uncle Thomas and quite possibly begin a new life there on my own."

"My dear," the captain stated. "America is a dreadfully hard place. You're going to need some help to survive there. Are you sure that is where you want to end up?"

"We will see what'll happen, Captain Smith. I could end up in America while successfully supporting myself. I could always return to Queenstown and reunite with my family… Or I could always remain in Belfast with Uncle Thomas, Aunt Helen, and their family. We will see what'll happen and then I will just make the choice there."

Captain Smith nodded, accepting her answer while the man whom her uncle had referred to as 'Mr. Ismay' asked her, "Are you traveling…alone?" He placed an unusual amount of emphasis on the last word as he looked over at her.

"Actually, Mr. Ismay, I could not be traveling in the company of a group of finer gentlemen…and of course I am talking not only about my uncle but also about the Titanic's officers. They have been nothing but **polite** to me during the time I have known them and they also have been **welcoming** to me when my uncle is needed to be in other areas of the ship…" She was angry that the git had enough rashness to ask about her traveling status when her uncle had obviously written her about the actions of this self-absorbed man. He sat back, obviously shocked at the answer that he had gotten, and one of the members of Mr. Andrews' group broke in about something concerning the ship. He was praising it to no end…much like many of the conversations that were soon to follow.

The meal passed with many similar conversations. Siobhan obviously grew bored of the dinner and, not to mention fatigue was setting in upon her, decided to distance herself from the conversations, which she would have normally gladly thrown in her two cents.

By the time the last course had came around she had not said much of anything, or at least not since Ismay had asked the questions that set her off into the slight tangent. Both Moody and Lowe had noticed this.

"Can you get her attention and ask her if she's feeling all right?" Moody nodded and reached over, fingers brushing against her arm.

"Are you feeling all right? You have hardly said a word since we have begun the dinner."

Siobhan looked over to the two officers who were watching her. "Yeah…" she said quietly. "I'm just quite tired. I haven't slept really well over the past few days. I will probably go back to my room and retire after this, seeing as how I am going to need the sleep."

"The dinner is almost over," Lowe said to her. "After Captain Smith releases us all, I'll take you back to your room and make sure you get there safely."

"Now Harry…you got to get her from the room. I do believe it is my turn to escort her back to the suite."

"Sorry, Jimmy…but you also have to get up to the bridge for watch. You're lucky that Captain Smith let you have a delay, but he said you had to get there right after the dinner ended."

The closeness of the two junior officers was apparent, as they had bickered over the right to escort her back to the room. "Mr. Moody," she said as she put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure there will be plenty of time during this voyage that I will need an escort. Your duties come first." He nodded in defeat as the last course arrived, and they all knew that afterwards they would be dispersed to pick up their normal duties.

The dinner party did not last for much longer and Siobhan arrived back to her room soon afterwards. "I thank you for accompanying me back to my room, Mr. Lowe. I know my uncle would thank you too if he were here."

"It is not a problem, Miss Andrews." He took her hand and kissed it, looking back up to her in the process.

"Please, Harold…call me Siobhan. 'Miss Andrews' is too formal for my tastes. Siobhan."

"Okay…Siobhan. Well, good night…"

"Good night…" Before she turned and unlocked her room, however, she quickly gave her companion a kiss on the cheek. She smiled and entered her room as fast as she could after she realized what she did.

After the door was closed, she did not hear any form of protest from Officer Lowe. She bit her lip as the faintest form of a grin came across her face. What on earth came over her in order to initiate that sort of action? Was it a mere sort of infatuation? Or was it more? She pushed herself off of the door and got herself ready to retire. After all, she wanted to be up when the Titanic arrived at Queenstown…

* * *

The fog was just beginning to roll off of the harbor when the first tender arrived from the docks with the first group of Titanic's new passengers. The cool breeze gently swept around the passengers out on the decks before breakfast, but the vast majority of them were either already enjoying the morning meal or still asleep in their beds.

Siobhan quietly walked out onto the boat deck, taking in all of the vast scenery in front of her. She pulled her jacket around her, bringing back memories of the early morning walks from her childhood. She would often wander the cobblestone streets of her area of town in the early morning, down to the shore as well as around the city.

She never wanted to return home when the city would become alive.

Siobhan moved over to the set of steps that led up to the roof of the First Class Lounge. She positioned herself just at the top of the stairs, leaning up against the pole, as she reflected on the events that brought her this far…

Her and her Uncle Thomas would always seem to be two of a kind. Both of them had an undisputable love for the sea. Siobhan's mother was more than happy to let the two spend time together when they would either take the kids up to Northern Ireland or Thomas would come down to Queenstown.

Siobhan could faintly hear the sound of a piper coming from the docks. He was playing the tune of a song that her mother would sing to her when things got bad…

How can the small flowers grow,

If the wild winds blow,

And the cold snow is all around?

Where will the frail birds fly,

If their homes on high,

Have been torn down to the ground?

Things were bad from the beginning for the family. Siobhan was the middle child with an older brother (Liam) as well as a younger brother (Cerdic). It was hard to retain a sense of 'femininity' when you grew up with two brothers. Her mother Moira was the ideal family woman. She was wonderful with the kids, would always make it a point to volunteer with some organizations that either she saw worthwhile or her friends became involved in.

Lift the wings,

That carry me away from here and,

Fill the sail,

That breaks the line to home.

But when I'm miles and miles apart from you,

I'm beside you, when I think of you,

a Stóirín, a Grá.

The father, the head of the household himself Camden Andrews was known as the black sheep of the three Andrews brothers - Thomas and John being the other two. The father would go out and drink after he finished his low-paying job at the factory for the day and he would make it a bad habit to come home late at night and demand his dinner to be on the table. When it wasn't, Moira would have to face a slap or two and, disheartened, she would meekly prepare something for him. Her mother did not deserve this and would leave him if she could, but she did not in order to keep the family together for the children…

How can a tree stand tall,

If the rain won't fall,

To wash its branches down?

How can a heart survive,

Can it stay alive,

If its love's denied for long?

Moira did not have to suffer for long in the care of her husband. Unfortunately, she did not have the chance to leave him. One night, in the midst of a strong drunken stupor, Camden would not stop beating his wife and she died from what seemed like internal bleeding.

The funeral was an emotional one, but Siobhan noticed that there were signs that Liam was becoming like his father in more ways than one. He began to go out with his father and drink. She knew to stay out of the way of the two when they came home and the older began to shout for his dinner. She would start to stay out until the early morning hours and come home after they had passed out - all at the age of 10. Her younger brother couldn't take the madness anymore and, thanks to the help of his friend's family, ran away to a location that even she didn't know about.

Lift the wings,

That carry me away from here and,

Fill the sail,

That breaks the line to home.

But when I'm miles and miles apart from you,

I'm beside you, when I think of you,

a Stóirín,

And I'm with you as I dream of you,

a Stóirín,

And a song will bring you near to me,

a Stóirín, a Grá.

Siobhan was lucky that the neighbors had kept a watch on her after her mother was killed, and several times they had to interfere with her father's intentions to begin smacking her around. She wrote to her Uncle Thomas, using a neighbor's address as the return address. When her neighbor Tom O'Reilly gave her the return letter with the go ahead to journey to Belfast to join him, she immediately got together all she could carry and left while her father and brother were at the local pub. It was a perilous journey for an 11-year-old, but as if it was a miracle from God she found someone to accompany her on the journey in the town of Kildare.

Mr. O'Reilly had written to his cousins who were going to be journeying to Belfast and asked if they would hold off their journey until the girl had gotten to the town. Thankfully they wrote back and said they **would** wait until she got there. He bought her a train ticket to the town and after two-days of journeying she met up with them. The three of them made their way to Belfast and she successfully arrived in her uncle's arms soon afterwards, relieved that she would no longer have to worry about her old life and would be able to start anew.

The memory of Mr. O'Reilly brought Harold to mind, as their actions had mimicked the others. Since boarding the Titanic about 24 hours ago, she had felt totally at ease around the fifth officer. She was thankful that her uncle had gotten her this ticket because she would otherwise be in the third cabin…that, in some aspects, is where she wanted to be even more. He had given her the chance to meet Lowe, however, and to that she was ever thankful.

As for the night before, well, she did not know what to think. She could feel her mind hinting at her to pursue him, but she held back…not wanting to get hurt again…

* * *

"Hey, isn't that Siobhan?"

"Since when are you on a first name basis with… Oh, it is her!"

Both Lowe and Moody were walking along the boat deck, heading back to the stairwell that would take them to the crew's mess hall. Indeed, both were looking up to the platform that held the woman who had captured their minds…though it seemed for one that his attempts were in vain. She was dressed rather simply, in a brown skirt, brown jacket, white blouse, and boots - much like she was more comfortable in the third class area.

"Miss Andrews!"

Her head turned and a smile broke across her face when she saw Lowe and Moody approach her. "Hello," she said while not moving from her spot.

"Your uncle has been looking for you, Miss Andrews," Moody began. "Any particular reason why?"

"He probably wants to ask my opinion of something, Mr. Moody. That's why I'm hiding here… But, I guess you can say that the real reason for my being here right now is I wanted to see it again…" She motioned her head towards the city on the horizon, one tender coming from it and one tender going towards it.

"Queenstown," Lowe said. "That's where you are from; am I recalling correctly?"

"Aye," she said. "And that's where my da and brother Liam are…probably as we speak. But I do think its best if we leave those stones unturned right now…"

The two officers exchanged looks after she said that, drifting off into an uncomfortable lull. Lowe urged his friend to ask her something (by nudging him) and he nodded, turning back to her. "Miss Andrews," Moody said. "Have you had lunch yet?"

"No," she said with a sigh, "and it's going on 330 in the afternoon…"

"Well," Lowe spoke in. "We are just heading down to the crew's hall to get something to eat. If you don't mind the plain atmosphere of it…because it **certainly **is not first class, you are more than welcome to join us." She stood quietly for a minute, musing on the choice to join the two men.

"Okay," she said quietly. She straightened herself up and went down the steps, joining the two officers as the three of them went down to the mess hall.

****

Yellow-faith: hey, liked my King Arthur cross-reference, eh? :-D I'm trying to get this out as fast as I can, but you have to remember this is in progress…but as long as the ideas keep coming I'll keep staying up until 4 in the morning writing!

Liz: This was basically the background-chapter for Siobhan… I know she's had a hard life but she's managed to overcome the obstacles thrown her way… Okay, I'll stop before I get too sappy and whatnot. Lol - I'm turning this out as fast as I can! Its still in progress but, like I said before, as long as the ideas are steadily flowing I will turn the chapters out faster!

Remember, don't be afraid to click on the little button and leave a review! see beginning so I don't have to repeat myself lol


	4. Truth and Plans

"Okay…Siobhan…" The woman looked up from her food and looked questioningly at Harold. "From a first class woman's point of view…if you have two single men that you can choose for a husband that are completely different, which one would you choose? The first one has a wonderful personality that allows him to befriend anyone of his choosing. He's attractive, and yet he only dreams as having as much money as…say, the Astors. The second one has enough money to rival the Astors and the Strausses, is fair in his looks, but only mingles with those of his money status. Which one would you choose?"

Siobhan took another mouthful of her food (which was quite different from that served in the First Class Dining Room) and looked over to him. "That's easy," she said after she finished it. "The one with money. After all, that's what the first class woman looks for."

She didn't notice it, but the fifth officer's demeanor changed. He was hoping that he would have a chance with her. She didn't seem like the kind of woman who would judge a man…or even a person by their money. Everyone was her equal in her eyes, and he liked that in her. His attention turned to the food sitting in front of him, not wanting to press the subject further.

Mr. Moody felt it appropriate to disbelieve it, though.

"The man with money?"

"Of course, sir. But…Harold did ask for a first class woman's opinion. Not mine."

He looked up to her and noticed that she was looking over to him. "If you wanted the opinion of Siobhan Andrews as a person, I'd say that I'd go for the man who has the wonderful personality. There is nothing worse in my opinion than being married to someone who does not accept the world for what it is." She took one last bite of her food before she stood up with her plates. "Please, pardon my sudden exit. Thank you two for inviting me down here, but I must get back up to my uncle. You see, if I am gone too long he'll fear that I've fallen overboard and will send people after me."

"Yes, in a way that does sound like Mr. Andrews," Moody said with a smile. "Do us all a favor, Siobhan…try to make him realize that there is more to this voyage than finding imperfections. Get him to loosen up and **enjoy** this time."

The woman laughed. "Mr. Moody, if I had known how to do that I would have done it from the first day." With that comment, she bid the two a good-bye and left the room, heading back up topsides.

The two officers were quiet for a few minutes before they started to talk again; the conversation initiated by Moody. "You've got eyes for her…"

Lowe nearly choked on his food when he said that. "What?!?"

"You heard me, Harry. And I don't blame you - she is a beautiful woman. I knew you liked her or else I would be actively pursuing her by now."

He could see his friend's shoulders slump, as if he was trying to hide something but he was found out. "Is it really that **obvious**?"

"I don't think she's noticed it, but myself and the others have certainly noticed a change in your demeanor when you're around her." He saw his friend grin sheepishly and turn back to his food.

"Harry, when are you going to tell her how you feel?"

"I don't know," he said. "What if she's got eyes for someone else? Or what if she feels that I'm not good enough for her?"

"You've got to calm down. Talk to her and tell her how you feel…I'm sure that if she knew how you felt then all of this could be taken care of. Maybe you will be lucky enough that she shares your feelings, but for you."

"You're right." He looked over to the clock, standing up. "I can't talk to her now. I've got to go meet Bride - we're going to see if we can find those damned binoculars for the lookouts. Maybe afterwards I'll talk to her. Hey, I'll see you later, okay?"

"All right. Have fun."

"Ha…always." With that, the older officer left the hall. Moody sighed, knowing that it wasn't likely that his friend would talk to her if he didn't do it right away. Lowe was 29 and still single.

He knew that if Lowe caught wind of what was going to happen that he would be angry at him and could possibly lose the friendship that they had managed to build over the last few weeks. He picked up his things, threw away his garbage, and went to go find her. They needed to talk.

* * *

Thomas Andrews looked up from his blueprints when there was a knock at the door. "Who is it?"

"Its me."

He got up and went over to let his niece into the room. "Hello," he said opening the door. She stepped inside and shut it behind her. "Are you enjoying the voyage so far, my dear?"

She nodded. "Excellent," her uncle continued. "Would you be willing to accompany me down to the third cabins tomorrow afternoon? I'd most certainly want your opinions on this too."

"Yes, Uncle Thomas. You needn't be so obsessed with the comfort of the voyage. Enjoy it yourself too."

"Ahh, if only it could be that simple, Siobhan. You see, there is still another ship to be built. As of right now, we're calling it the 'Gigantic.' The Titanic is the last chance for us to get these imperfections right. If we get the vast majority of these corrected by the time we finish the third, then Gigantic will be, literally, the best ship in the world."

"I see…" Siobhan sat down in her uncle's armchair, pulling up her legs and leaning back into the fabric. The best ship in the world, eh? she mused. I wonder if Harold would want to try and obtain a job as a senior officer on her. Maybe I can get a ticket for the maiden voyage on that ship too. Then we could sail together…

"Okay… Who is it?"

She looked up to her uncle, who in turn was grinning down at her. "I don't know what you're talking about…"

"I know that look, Siobhan. I haven't seen that look since the little Conway boy when you two were about 15. Who is the lucky one? Who have you met on the ship?"

"Uncle Thomas…" She had an exasperated tone in her voice as she tried to protest the prying that was being done.

"Siobhan, if you are worried at what I will think, I don't want you to worry. If you are happy with the choice you have made, then that is all Helen and I care about." He set down his pencil and turned to her. "Who is it?"

"Its Harold, Uncle Thomas."

"Harold Lowe? The Titanic's fifth officer?" It seemed that he was surprised to hear this.

She nodded her head. He was silent for a few minutes, trying to let everything soak in, but a smile grew onto his face. "Siobhan, I am proud of you. Lowe is a wonderful man and he fully deserves you. Next time I see him, remind me to offer my congratulations."

"Well, he kind of doesn't know how I feel…"

"You mean you haven't told him yet?"

She shook her head. "I don't know what to do… What if there is someone waiting for him back in England? What if he doesn't think the same about me?"

They both heard a knock on the door. "I'm sure an answer will come along," he said while moving towards it. Opening it, he saw Moody standing there.

"Hello, Mr. Andrews. Is Miss Andrews with you?"

"Um…yes…" He turned and stepped off to the side. She stood up and saw that Moody was standing there. She got up and walked over to join the two men.

"Miss Andrews, I need to talk to you. Do you mind if we go for a walk?"

"No."

She began to step outside but was stopped by her uncle. "Is this him?" he asked quietly. As she shook her head, she walked out of the room and turned to Moody. "Let's go out onto the promenade. We can talk there." With that said, the two walked towards the door.

* * *

The A deck promenade acted as a wind tunnel for those people who were out on it that afternoon. Moody had to hold the door open for the woman, and it slammed shut behind him as he went through.

She looked back at it and smiled. "Uncle Thomas would have a fit if that door broke."

"I would certainly think so," he said as the two moved over to the railing. Siobhan leaned out over the railing and turned her face towards the wind as her red hair blew back behind her. She almost felt like flying…but a hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality. "Miss Andrews, this is a rather serious matter…"

"Okay," she said. "I apologize - I have just wanted to do that since we left Southampton, but I knew my uncle would have a fit if I did. Anyway, what's so important that you had to seek me out at my uncle's room? Is something the matter?"

"Its about Harold."

She sharply turned to the sixth officer and looked him in the eye. "What about him?"

"Okay. I just want to make it clear that whatever you hear right now did not come from me." She nodded. "Okay. Harold seems to…he…well, he seems to have developed eyes for you."

She was silent for a few minutes, trying to comprehend the words that he had told her. "Miss Andrews?"

"…he has eyes for me? Why didn't he even mention it?"

"He was afraid that if you didn't share the feelings he had that he would be made a fool. He's 29 and still single. Please believe me when I say that his demeanor does change when he's around you. The other officers and I have most certainly noticed it."

She giggled to herself. "That's funny…"

"What?"

"I was just having the same conversation with my uncle. It was something that I questioned for awhile, but I've long since realized that, as you said, I share in his feelings."

"Now he does need to know this…the only question is how you're going to tell him…"

"I have an idea. Tomorrow my uncle and I are going down to the third cabin to take notes on improvements. Tomorrow night there will be a party in the third class dining hall. See if you can get him to go down with you. I'll talk to him then and let him know how I feel, since its obvious that he's not going to do it."

"Okay."

Not a moment too soon, he heard someone call his name from farther down the promenade. "Its Harry…he's patrolling the ship. Get out of here! Quickly!" He turned around and saw his friend coming towards him.

"Hey, Jimmy. What are you doing out here? I'm almost done with my watch and you're not even ready yet…"

Moody turned towards the sea and, out of the corner of his eye, saw that Siobhan had disappeared - and without Harold's notice, he presumed. "Just taking in the sea air, Harry."

"Come on. I'm going back up top. Would you like to come with me?"

"Sure." The two started to walk back towards the bow. "Hey, Harry. Did you hear that there is a party down in the third class area tomorrow night?"

****

Yellow-faith: I'm trying to play on the friendship between Lowe and Moody a bit more, and as you can see in this chapter its really strong! About that song…if you're interested in hearing it, you can hear it on the Riverdance Soundtrack (track 10) or on the Riverdance: Live from NYC DVD (the 'American Wake' chapter). 'S so pretty! I'm glad you liked the King Arthur fic, too…though this fic has kind of taken top priority, so I'll try and update that soon too!

Liz: Don't worry…there's plenty of action between her and Lowe coming up over the next few chapters, though it probably won't reach "joined at the hip" status until later! Plus, keep in mind that there's going to be more than you think during this story! Hehehe…

Okay…so next chapter is going to be the party, and things are really going to heat up! If anyone wants to contact me for whatever reason - be it story, Lowe, Ioan, or even random things, feel free to do so on AIM: SilentThunder086.

Until next time, review! (heh…never hurts…)


	5. The Party

Chapter 4: The Party

Friday April 12, 1912

8:15 a.m.

A knock at the door brought Siobhan out of her sleep. She was in the middle of a dream where she was docking at New York, but she was not on the Titanic. Harold was with her - in fact, he had his arms wrapped around her waist; and her arm was in a makeshift sling. The dream went by quickly, but the last thing she remembered in the dream was the officer whispering something into her ear and just before she woke up, they kissed.

Knock! Knock!

The knocking at the door was a little bit louder this time. "Ugh…" she said to herself. She grabbed her robe and put it on. "Uncle Thomas, if that's you I swear I'm going to be angry! You aren't supposed to be here until 9!" She opened the door and came face-to-face with Lowe.

"Eherm…um, good morning, Harold..."

He had a smile on his face and had to restrain himself from laughing. "Your uncle is actually the one who asked me to make sure you were awake. I saw him on the way to the Verandah and he asked me to come down here and wake you if you were not already."

"Well, I am awake now. I thank you for your gesture," she said, pulling her robe around her tighter. "But I could have used the extra fifteen minutes of sleep…"

"I know. It's hard getting up when you need to be awake. But, since you are awake, would you like to join me for breakfast?"

"I appreciate the suggestion," she said, though she had a slight sorrowful disposition about her. "I was just going to get something from the a la carte restaurant because Uncle Thomas is going to be here at 9...in 45 minutes. The food was going to come back here with me so I can eat it while I get ready. I'm going to be spending the day with my uncle down in the third cabin."

"What about tonight?"

"I've already made some plans with some people."

"Oh…because there is a party down in the third-class area and I was wondering if you were going…"

She smiled. Obviously Moody had told him about the party and had gotten him interested. "I'll try to go down there and make an appearance. I mean, we'll see what all will happen today. For all I know, I could be down there rather late with Uncle Thomas. We'll see what'll happen."

"You're right. Well, if you do come down, try to make it before 11 or so. I have to go on watch at 12 so I'll be leaving around 11:30."

"I shall try."

She gave him a smile before she ducked back into the room. Now that she was awake, she might as well get ready. After all her uncle would be there in less than 45 minutes.

The time passed quickly, and the next thing she knew it was 9:00 and there was a knock at the door. She went over to it and opened it, seeing her uncle standing in the door. "Come in, Uncle Thomas. I'm just about ready." Indeed, she was dressed to fit in down in the third cabin.

"Excellent. Thanks again for doing this, Siobhan. I have a couple of things you will need, though." He threw down a set of keys and a notebook with a pencil onto the table. "You'll need these when you go down into the all-female areas of the ship. I'm not going to break those rules just because I'm in a higher class. The keys I have for you are actually Archie's, but he's agreed to let you use them for awhile." He spoke referring to his friend Archie Frost, a fitter that was sailing in second class. He picked up the key ring and showed her what sort of key would get her through which locked gate.

She walked over to her closet and pulled out a scarf, which she in turn tied around her waist and used it to create a sort of fold for the key ring and the notebook. "I'm ready," she said, and the two left the stateroom and headed for the third class areas.

It was not long after they had gotten down to the third cabins that they split off to cover different areas of the ship. Thomas had decided that on the way down that he wanted to cover the third class area in one day so obviously he used the fact of two people in the party to his advantage.

'Just look for anything that you think could be improved. It could be the carpet, it could be the wall patterns, it could be anything you think of. I trust your judgment.'

With that, he had sent her off into the bow of the ship - heading for the all female area. She stood there now and looked around, taking acute observations of the minute details.

__

'Paint chipping around light fixtures'

'Doorframe in Scotland Road Aft sticks. Will send steward with oil.'

When she got to the door for Scotland Road Forward, she was stopped when she heard a male's voice call to her. "Well, I had never thought I would live to see her again. Siobhan! Siobhan Andrews!"

She turned around and there was truly a surprised look on her face. "Oh, my! Owen? Owen Magnusson? Is that you?"

He laughed as the two hugged. "Aye, Siv. I didn't know that you were going to be sailing on Titanic also! I mean, ever since you ran away, we thought you had dropped off the face of the Earth…"

"We…?"

"Well, that's another thing…I'm sure you remember Catriona Abercrombie? Well, we began dating about 5 years ago and, well, we were married about a year ago. This is her anniversary present. A trip to America.

She smiled at the memory of the girl who would always hang around with them back in Queenstown. "That's wonderful! Where is she?"

"She's back at the room - just off Scotland Road back there about 20 feet. What about you? Where are you quartered? Are you going to the party tonight after dinner?"

"Well actually, Owen, I'm sailing in First Class with my Uncle Thomas. You see, I went to live with him in Belfast after I ran away. He got his ticket through the shipyards that built the Titanic and had to do some bargaining before he got mine. I am going to be at the party, though - after all, the man who has won my affections is going to be there."

"And you might the lucky fellow be?"

"Well, it's actually the fifth officer of this ship. Tonight I'm going to tell him how I feel - because, thanks to his friend, I found out he feels the same way about me."

"You're kidding!" It was like the two had never spent a day apart. The two people were best friends back in Queenstown before all the rocky events in Siobhan's life. "Hey," he said suddenly. "Have you had lunch yet? I can go get Catriona and we can all go get something in the Dining Hall together and catch up on what we missed."

The woman sighed. "Okay…but I need to get to checking out the all-female part of the ship after we get done eating." She smiled as the man ran back to get his wife.

The lunch went better than what Siobhan had expected. The three of them caught up on how life was going after the redhead had run away from home. Of course, after they were all caught up on the past the two third class passengers started to ask numerous questions about first class.

Of course, all the good things that one waits for must come to an end. She needed to get back to examining all of the ship that her uncle had entrusted to her. She bid farewell to her two friends for a short time - after all, they would be seeing each other again in just a few hours…when the sounds of Celtic music would indeed fill the halls of Titanic - or, at least the Third Class area of the ship…

(((())))

Siobhan finished her observations rather quickly after lunch, and she was able to drop her notebook off at her uncle's stateroom (of course, attracting a few stares from the other first class passengers…). It was just about time for the party to start down below, so she borrowed the keys for just a bit longer and went back down below decks. It took her hardly any time to get there, and she met up with her friends - who were also waiting for the party to begin.

At around 7:45, the band began to play as the passengers were filing in. It was obvious that it was a come-and-go party. The passengers who were already in the dining hall got up and hit the floor, joined soon after by those who wanted to dance. For those who chose not to, they grabbed drinks and found their friends. Several games began to appear, ranging from a checkers game to arm wrestling matches.

Lowe and Moody got there about 15 minutes into the party. They could hear the strains of the party from down the hall, and when they got there they found it jam packed with third class passengers.

"I'm glad I got Joe to cover my watch tonight!" Moody said to his friend.

"What?"

"Never mind! It isn't important!"

"Do you see her?"

They looked as they moved into the room. "There she is," Moody said with a smile. He pointed to the dance floor where everyone was doing an Irish reel. Indeed she was there, just as happy as he remembered.

Just as they spotted her, the song ended and the band started up a lively jig. Siobhan, feeling eyes upon her, looked up and spotted the two. She grabbed her friends' hands and pulled them off of the floor. "Come on, he's here!" she said with glee. The two looked at each other with smiles as they went over to the officers.

"Harold! Mr. Moody!" she called out as she neared them. The two also walked towards the trio, closing the distance even further. "Hey," she said when they all finally met. "I want to introduce you to my friends from back in Queenstown, Owen and Catriona Magnusson. I've known them practically my whole life. Owen, Catri, these are the fifth and sixth officers of the Titanic - Harold Lowe and…uhh…"

Moody noticed her hesitation and realized that he never told her his first name. "James Moody." He looked back over to her and smiled when he saw relief in her face. The group shook hands.

"Hey, Owen…I think we should go get something to drink. Over there. James, why don't you come along with us?" The two men looked confused. "Come on…" She grabbed both of them by their hands as they realized what she meant. They disappeared in the crowd, leaving Lowe and Siobhan alone together.

The band finished their previous song and started to play yet another lively jig. "Would you care to dance?" He held out his hand.

"I'd be honored," she said as she took it. They walked out to the floor and joined hands.

"I'm afraid I'm not familiar with this dance…"

"Well, first we need to get closer."

"Like this?" Harold asked as he drew his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She looked up to him and smiled.

"Exactly. Now just go with the music - a lot of people make everything up as they go." He nodded as she felt his arm tense around her waist. "Relax," she whispered to him, though she quite enjoyed the feeling of his arm around her. After he had managed to get the feel of the beat, they joined the many passengers who were dancing and after a few minutes they were completely into the dancing - laughing, looking for their friends, and even drawing each other closer…

They kept on dancing until they began to hear cheering and hooting. "Come on," Siobhan said. "Let's go see what's going on." She didn't realize it at the time, but she grabbed his hand and they both were walking over to the gathering.

They broke through the crowd and saw that Owen and Moody were arm wrestling. Siobhan saw Catriona near her. "Catri," she asked. "What's going on?"

"Owen bet James that he wasn't as strong as him and James called him on the bet."

"Basically a matter of ego?"

"Exactly." She laughed as Siobhan leaned in and started to cheer on Moody - after all, he needed some back up. She heard a male voice chime in right next to her and realized that Lowe was cheering on his friend also. The support was supposedly working because she noticed that he was gaining on Owen. The next thing they knew, the Irishman gave up and the officer slammed his hand down on the table.

"No hard feelings there, eh Mr. Moody?" Owen extended his hand and the officer took it, shaking it charismatically.

Siobhan felt Harold's hand on her shoulder and heard him say to her, "Come on…let's get back to dancing…" She looked back over to him and smiled, nodding her agreement. They got back onto the dance floor and danced until Moody shouted those fateful words:

"Lowe! Its 11:30!"

It was time for him to leave the party so he could make the watch on time. They left the dance floor and he grabbed his jacket (which he had discarded with Moody beforehand). As he slid it on, he turned back to her. She was vaguely aware of Moody watching them, but her attention was mainly focused on him.

She saw his hand come up and caress her cheek. "I guess I'll see you later, then?" She nodded as he reached down and kissed her hand. However, the look in his eyes revealed to her that he yearned to kiss her on the lips. He turned with a sad smile and began to leave the room and head up topsides…

She looked to Moody, who was gaping at the sight. They were supposed to reveal their feelings tonight for each other and work on building a relationship together. Not this! She sighed as she turned on her heel and went after him. "Lowe!"

She caught up with him a few feet from the entrance of the hall. "Harold Lowe!" He turned and smiled at her.

"Yes?"

She didn't say anything but rapidly advanced on him. She suddenly threw her arms around him and did what he so longed to do to her. She felt him stiffen under the initial contact of the kiss out of surprise, but he quickly got over it and lost himself in the moment. This confirmed it to him - his feelings were shared.

She pulled away after a minute or two. "Don't deny your feelings," she said as she ran a fingernail along his jaw line. "Especially when they may be shared."

He longed to talk about the new discovery…but knew that he couldn't. "Meet me tomorrow in the Verandah Café at 2. We can talk about this then." She nodded and he gave her a quick kiss before he continued down the hall.

She went back in to the party, where she saw Moody was waiting on her return. When she flashed him a grin, he returned the smile. He knew that everything went like he had hoped - and now maybe his friend could be happy knowing that his feelings were truly shared.

**__**

Liz: Here's your update! Lol

cheerfulwriter: Wow! On your Author Alerts list and_ Favorite Author's list? I feel so loved! feigns happy tears The romance is only just begun…much like the story (which is all I'll say before I end up revealing plot points!). We only have one more chapter until the fateful night… cue dramatic chord_

So…as I said before, if anyone wants to contact me on AIM feel free to do so (SilentThunder086).

And, as always, please R & R!!!


	6. Into the Lion's Den

Saturday April 13th, 1912

2:30 p.m.

The party in the third class area went until early in the morning. Siobhan had no idea what time it was when the passengers started to disperse. All she remembered after Harold left was Moody escorting her back and promising that he would send someone to wake her at 1 if she wasn't already awake.

"Miss Siobhan? Are you awake?"

It was her maid, knocking on her door. Siobhan rolled over in her bed to find that there was bright sunlight streaming in through her windows.

"Yes…you can come in…"

The door opened and shut quickly and in came her maid. "We must get you ready, Miss Siobhan. We've got to get you out in a half an hour. Master Thayer was asking about you; said that people were asking about you at breakfast and lunch. We must get you ready for Mr. Lowe…"

"Wait…how do you know about him?"

"My dear…Mr. Moody told me last night. He was the one who sent me to wake you. I think it's wonderful. Mr. Lowe is a wonderful man - you two would be perfect for each other. Now…I'm liking the burgundy dress…."

((((()))))

Siobhan got up to the Verandah right at 3 and, seeing as Lowe was not in the room when she got there, sat at a vacant table next to one of the windows.

"Tea, miss?" One of the stewards held out an empty teacup for her.

"Yes…thank you…"

He set the cup down next to her and not even thirty seconds later another steward was by with a teapot and poured her some before moving into the Smoking Room. Her eyes watched the passengers as they walked by on the A-deck promenade. The ship that her uncle had so meticulously built had made so many people happy, and she had enjoyed seeing their faces as they took in the wonder that was Titanic. Everyone seemed so happy to be there - even the third class people, whom she had seen last night.

"Harold! Over here!" She stood up as the officer came over.

"Hello…" he said as he gave her a kiss. "I apologize for being late. I couldn't leave until Boxhall showed up. He was running a few minutes late."

"Its all right," she said with a smile. "I would have waited forever…"

The same steward interrupted their conversation. He asked if he would like some tea, which he graciously accepted the offer. He was brought the tea and, for a few minutes, sat staring at it.

"Is there something on your mind, Harold?"

He sighed as he placed his spoon down onto the saucer. "We got more ice warnings today."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Bride has said so. From ships that are ahead of us that are stopped. Says there's so damn much ice that they can't go anywhere."

"Is it true?"

"I don't know. There's so much passenger traffic that they've gotten lost in the shuffle. It would be hopeless to find them now."

"It should be fine, Harold," she said as she took a sip of her tea. "Uncle Thomas designed a wonderful ship - it's quite hard to sink her with one or two compartments flooded."

"Yes, I know. Up to four compartments flooded is the maximum she can allow. But Siobhan…what if the ship has five punctured compartments?"

She was quiet for a few minutes. "It would have to be an act of God. That'd be over 300 or so feet, if my measurements are recalling correctly."

"It would… Captain Smith has ordered the last boilers to be lit too. We're flying at full speed into the Lion's Den."

She was quiet for a few minutes before she reached out and put her hand on top of his. "Harold, please… Let's just put this behind of us for now and enjoy the time we have together. It's going to be over before we know it."

"Not if we don't let it…"

She was taken aback by these words. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that, depending on how this voyage and the return trip go that I would like you to come stay with me in Wales for a little bit. See how you like the country. I don't want to impose anything on you just yet because we just barely know each other, but let's see what'll happen."

"Yes… Let us see what will happen." She smiled as she took a sip of her tea.

(((())))

It was only a matter of time before the announcement for dinner was carried out. The pair stood up in the café and agreed to meet in the C-Deck area of the Grand Staircase in order to go to dinner together in the First Class Dining Hall.

It didn't take too long for Siobhan to get ready, and sure enough she was waiting in the Grand Staircase for Harold. She saw some of the people she had met on the voyage going down to the dinner. They exchanged brief greetings and almost just as quickly went on their way.

Siobhan saw a familiar face come down the stairwell.  
  
"Hello, Officer Wilde!" She smiled as she saw the officer whom she had met on the first day out.

"Hello, Miss Andrews." He took her hand and kissed it. "How has your voyage been so far?"

"It's been wonderful, thank you." She smiled as she put her hands behind her back. "How has your voyage been so far, I mean, with being the Chief Officer of this ship and all?"

She could see his eyes darken slightly. "I do not like this ship at all… To call her 'unsinkable' is to fly in the face of God. Miss Andrews, I don't mean to frighten you, but there is something about this ship that I don't like. I'd much prefer to be back with the Olympic right now…"

"I…I don't know what to say to that, Mr. Wilde…"

"Its quite all right, Miss Andrews. Don't worry about it."

She smiled at the Chief Officer, and heard Harold greet them both. She turned around and saw that he was walking towards them.

"Good evening, Mr. Lowe."

"Good evening, Mr. Wilde. Have you been keeping her company while I finish up on tasks before dinner?"

Siobhan noticed a smile coming from Mr. Wilde.

"Actually," he said in response. "I was just heading down to pick up some food before the watch." He turned to Siobhan. "It was nice chatting with you, Miss Andrews. Now if you'll excuse me I really must be going. Lowe." He nodded to the lower-ranked officer before he continued down to the D-Deck Reception area.

Lowe held out his arm and she took it. "So," she began. "Whom will we be dining with tonight?"

"I do believe that Mr. Murdoch has invited us to join him at his table. Your uncle will be joining us for dinner there."

"You mean he's actually leaving his work for a bit to join us?" She asked incredulously.

"He is," he said with a smile. "In fact, he is."

(((())))

It was only a mere ¾ of the way through the dinner, but Siobhan got tired of sitting through the tediousness of the First Class dinners. It was then that she tried to get back to her room by feigning sick - and succeeding.

"Here…Siobhan, let me walk you back."

Lowe stood up and helped the "ailing" woman up. "I'll be back after I drop her off at her room."

"Okay," Mr. Andrews said. "I'll be by later to check on you."

"I'll probably be asleep, Uncle Thomas. I'll meet you tomorrow morning for the services."

"All right," he said. "Take care…get some rest…"

With that, the two walked out of the Dining Hall and up to C Deck…which therefore, led to her room.

"I'll see you tomorrow at the services, okay?" She nodded and smiled as she went inside, seemingly locking the door behind her.

However, she did not go to sleep. She struggled to get the dress off as well as all of the first class necessities. It only took her about 5 minutes or so to do, and she went over to her closet and pulled out the same outfit she wore yesterday. Earlier in the day she had seen her friends Owen and Catriona out on the Third Class Promenade. They told her about another party that was being held in the same room as the night before. Siobhan, remembering the fact that she had a blast at the first one, wanted to relive the experience again at the party that night. She also had her uncle's keys, and she was going to use them while she still had them. She felt horrible about not inviting Lowe, but tonight (she had decided) was going to be dedicated to her two friends from back home. After all, they would do the same for her…right?

She carefully poked her head out the door and, seeing as how the majority of everyone was still at dinner, grabbed the keys. She quickly locked her door and headed to the Aft Grand Staircase, ready to once again dance the night away.

**__**

Well…about one more chapter to go before all the action begins! :-D

The Genghis - yep! I decided that there weren't enough Lowe/OC fics out there so I decided to take matters into my own hands! 

Liz - yay! I'm glad you loved Chapter 5...pity it had to be so late into the voyage…but oh well… I can't reveal anymore about the plot because it changes like everyday, so we'll just have to wait until its written! I might take your little hint into consideration…lol…

My wonderful consultant of all things 'Titanic' - yep, its you Cassi! Well, you and the Encyclopedia Titanica… But anyway… I can never thank you enough for all your help (esp. giving me a chance to clear my mind when I write the filler chapters!). Here's the next chapter - enjoy!

And…as always, REVIEW!!! :-D


	7. Confrontations

**__**

(Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay…had some internet troubles for awhile…)

April 14th, 1912

8 a.m.

Siobhan got back to her stateroom just as the morning sun was setting its sights on the Titanic. Her head was still spinning from the amount of dancing that she had done that night as well as the time she had spent with her two childhood friends. It took her no time to change into her nightdress and before she knew it, she was in bed and drew her covers up, fully intending to sleep until the late afternoon. However, she forgot one important detail concerning the day.

She had just closed her eyes when she heard a knock at the door.

"Miss Siobhan! Its time to get ready for the services! They're in an hour!"

She groaned as she pulled the covers over her head. She had not slept since the day before…when was she ever going to get some rest?

"Miss Siobhan!"

She forced herself to get up out of the unusually comfortable bed. She sighed as she pulled her robe on and opened the door. The maid came in and shut the door behind her. She turned around, intending to help her charge dress, but she stopped in her tracks.

"Oh, dear…" she said with a sort of whisper in her voice. "You don't look too good. Is everything all right? Did you sleep at all last night?"

The woman remembered her ploy to get out of dinner. "Um, I actually was not feeling well last night and consequentially I hardly slept."

"Are you sure you want to go to the services?"

"I need to. My uncle is stopping by to escort me to the dining room, anyway. I will attempt to pray for a recovery."

"Well, heaven knows you need it, child. I will try and get you fixed up to look halfway decent for that gentleman of yours. I would recommend that you come back up here right afterwards and try to get some rest…"

"I'll…try…" She trailed off as her maid got started and seemed to be not listening to her anymore.

(((())))

It was only a matter of time before her uncle had came to her room. "Siobhan! Are you feeling better? You look worse than you did last night…"

"I didn't sleep too well, Uncle. I'm fine, though. Really…I'm doing better…"

"Are you sure that you want to come?"

"Of course. I've been raised never to neglect the services on Sundays…"

"I know you have. Come on…they're starting soon." With that, he held out his arm and she took it. The two walked back to the Grand Staircase and down to the Dining Hall, where there was an area set up for the mass.

They sat towards the back of the area and quietly watched many of the passengers file in after them. They didn't choose to sit up in the front because of the fact that the elder could be called away at a moment's notice. He wouldn't want to disturb any of the passengers in their service.

Siobhan saw all of the officers filing in together - all except for Moody and Murdoch, who were the watch officers at that time. She caught Lowe's eye and he flashed her a smile. He motioned that he had to sit with the others but he'd meet her afterwards and they could get some breakfast before he had to go on his watch.

As the last people sat down, Captain Smith stood up and announced the first song. The passengers, in turn, picked up their hymnals and turned to the page as they heard the first notes of the song on the piano.

(((())))

The service lasted about an hour and afterwards the first class passengers began to mingle with each other. Mr. Andrews gave his niece a kiss on the cheek as he said, "Pardon my sudden departure, but I need to take a look at something in the Gymnasium and after that I need to give a tour of the ship to some of the first class passengers. I'll meet up with you after I'm done and we'll go to dinner or something. I'm sorry I'm neglecting you for most of this voyage…"

"Uncle Thomas, don't worry about it. I'm meeting Harold for breakfast, anyway. Good luck with the tour - I'll see you tonight." With that said, he headed off to the boat deck.

"Ahem… Miss Andrews, Lowe had to run to the washroom. He'll be back in a few minutes. How is your voyage going so far?"

She turned around and saw Third Officer Pitman next to her. "Oh, hello…" she said with a smile. "My voyage has been quite enjoyable, Mr. Pitman. Thank you for asking."

The two continued to talk for a little until she heard a third voice join the conversation. It was none other than Ismay, the man who had left a sour first impression on the first night out.

"Mr. Pitman," he said to the officer. "Do you mind if I talk to Miss Andrews for a few minutes?"

The officer shook his head and motioned to go ahead. He moved off to the side, leaving the two passengers to their conversation.

Mr. Ismay did not hesitate when he had his privacy. "What do you think you are doing to your uncle?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what you're doing. Associating yourself with third class people? Getting involved romantically with a ship's officer? People are talking about this, Miss Andrews. And it isn't good."

She looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Since when are **you** so concerned with my status in society?"

"Since your uncle became the Master Shipbuilder…" His eyes looked over her slowly, examining every aspect of her. She felt like she was a cow on the auction block.

"Friendship and love associate themselves with no class, Mr. Ismay… I'm sure you would be able to find some suitable friends in the second and third cabins if you tried…"

"Oh, Miss Siobhan…you silly, silly girl. You are quite beautiful. You can use that beauty to get any man you wanted. Why don't you go for one with money and power and leave behind that piece of sea trash?"

That comment struck a nerve in her. She officially grew tired of the "class-ism" that was running rampant throughout the majority of the first cabin. No one criticized anyone that she cared about. NO ONE.

Suddenly, while surprising everyone except her, she took her right arm and quickly slapped Ismay across the face. It was apparent that she was not going to take any more verbal battering from anyone about her life - it was her life and she could live it the way she wanted.

The next thing she knew she felt strong arms grip her shoulders. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Lowe standing right behind her. "What is going on here?" he asked with a raised voice, as if he knew that he had done something to provoke her.

She didn't say anything but just looked over to Mr. Ismay. "I think its time for you to leave," she said quietly while directing the statement to the overbearing shipowner.

Ismay looked enraged at this - was he actually going to let this woman win over him? He looked over to the officers, and both of them gave him looks that said they were going to side with her. "I won't let this be over here," he said. "There will be repercussions," he said as he left quickly.

Siobhan scowled after him as she felt his arms draw her closer. "I personally think that there won't…" She looked up to her companion. "Are you ready for breakfast?"

"Whenever you are," he said in reply. At that, they bid the other officer good morning and went to the a la carte restaurant.

(((())))

Harold dropped her off at her stateroom before he went up to take his place on duty at the bridge. She smiled as she thought this would be the chance for her to catch up on her sleep.

However, that didn't happen.

She opened the door after she heard some knocking. There she saw her uncle, and he didn't look too happy with her. "You slapped Mr. Ismay."

"Uncle Thomas, I can explain everything…"

She turned on her heel and went back into her room. He followed her while saying, "There's nothing to explain…"

Glancing back to him, she saw him shut the door. He turned back to her quickly and said (in an extremely quiet voice), "What did it feel like?"

She couldn't believe her ears. "What?"

"Siobhan my dear, you have done what many of us have wanted to do for a long time. Ismay, if he wants something, will not think of others' feelings when he goes for it. I am not mad at you - in fact, I found it rather funny when he came ranting to me about your behavior. I had to hold laughter in, of course, but I'm not mad at you. He probably deserved it for provoking you."

"Yeah…" she chuckled slightly.

"Anyway," her uncle continued. "I'm going down to survey the Second Class area. Do you want to come?"

She shrugged. "Sure," she said. "How late will we be out?"

"Just until about 9 or so. We can always get the rest of the areas tomorrow that we don't get to today." She nodded and grabbed her overcoat and, a few minutes later, the two were underway.

**__**

Okay…before I get to the shout-outs…there is something I want to say.

We are now going to move into the evening of April 14th - a.k.a. the sinking. Now, the later chapters of the story are going to break off into two storylines. Lowe is going to hold one storyline while Siobhan will hold the other.

In order to determine which chapter belongs to which character, I'm going to entitle it this way:

(ex. - ) Midnight, Lowe

…or something like that. Lol - just look up in the chapter title!

And I just want to give everyone a warning - I'm going to be moving come this weekend, so I might not be able to post another chapter for a week or two. School is starting again…and its time to move into the dorms. I'll try to get at least one more out before I go, but no guarantees - if I don't, I'll get it up ASAP.

(((())))

Yellow-faith: lol - I was wondering where you disappeared to! Anyway, I'm glad you like the friendship between Lowe and Moody. Here's another chapter for you (which just may have some reasoning behind future events…heh…) so enjoy!

Liz: lol - I think I have an idea about your feelings towards this story. I'm trying to get her to interact with other officers more, but she also has her duties towards her uncle and whatnot, so yeah…

Cassi (via e-mail): haha - just the typical review? I'm loving your story! So, I guess we're inspiring each other? It works for me! Well, must run…later!

(((psst…click the little button!)))


	8. Midnight, Siobhan

**__**

REMINDER: This is where the story splits into two different lines - one for Lowe and one for Siobhan. They'll rejoin later on in the story.

April 14th, 1912

9:30 p.m.

"So we're going to meet for breakfast tomorrow, right?"

"Of course…but Siobhan, I've really got to get some sleep or else I won't be able to make it through my watch tonight." The two were walking along the A-deck promenade, enjoying the crisp night air. Her uncle had let her go back to first class when he noticed that she was getting antsy. She met Lowe when he was coming back from her stateroom (slightly disappointed that he didn't get an answer, but happy when he saw her). They went out on deck and managed to catch the sunset before they went to the Café Parisian for dinner.

"I know what you mean…I really need to get some sleep too. I didn't sleep at all last night."

"Go to sleep, then," he said before giving her a farewell kiss. "I'll meet you tomorrow at 9."

"Sleep well…" With that, the two parted ways.

By the time Siobhan got back to her stateroom, she was about ready to drop and go to sleep in front of the doorway. It was a miracle that she was able to change out of her clothes and into her nightgown…or, at least it seemed like her nightgown. She picked a white dress out of her closet and put it on right before dropping on top of her bed.

She didn't even bother to get under the covers, for she felt her eyes shutting beneath her. She was extremely tired and felt the fatigue overtaking her.

She felt like she could sleep through the end of the world.

As she succumbed to unconsciousness, she didn't realize that in just a couple of hours it would indeed be the end of the world for many people.

(((11:50)))

"Miss Andrews!"

Sharp knocking at the door brought her around - of course, quite groggy and disoriented when considering she had only been asleep for a little over 2 hours.

She fumbled for her robe in the darkness and, finding it, made her way over to the door by following the wall. She opened it and saw Mr. Moody standing there.

"Miss Andrews, I need for you to get dressed and put your lifebelt on."

"Mr. Moody? What's going on?" She saw him look around at the desolate hall that was soon to be full with passengers.

"The ship hit an iceberg," he said in a lowered voice. "Your uncle is sounding the ship right now with the carpenter. I don't want to take any chances - from what I saw, the first 5 compartments were damaged."

Her mind slowly took in the words of the Titanic's junior-most officer and her mind drifted back to her conversation with Harold just a few days ago. "300 feet…" She looked up to him incredulously. "Are you certain?"

"Siobhan, I was there when it happened. I saw the entire accident, and I was there when Captain Smith ordered your uncle to be awoken in order to sound the ship. We're meeting in 5 minutes or so in order to hear the damages and if we should get the lifeboats ready for lowering."

She nodded her head, knowing all too well what would become inevitable. "Why did you come to tell me even though it might not be true? I know it is, but there's the slightest chance…"

"I did it for Harold. I know that if what happened will result in sinking he would want to see to it that you were put in a lifeboat."

Somehow she got an inkling that he was right on everything - and both Harold and her uncle would be attempting to track her down…

"Moody…Jim…I don't know what to say…"

"Don't say anything. Just promise me that if I never see you again that you'll do whatever it takes to take care of Harry…"

"Don't say that…" she said while hugging him. She felt his arms wrap around her as he returned the hug. "Thank you," she whispered into his ear.

As they broke the hug, he smiled at her and said, "Dress warmly. Its quite cold outside…" With that, he started off down the hall.

((()))

Siobhan was just about dressed when she heard another knock on the door. With her lifebelt in hand, she opened it and found both her uncle and whom she presumed to be the carpenter standing there. "Uncle…?"

"Siobhan…I don't know who told you, but you have read my mind. Get your lifebelt on and get up to the boat deck."

"Is it that bad?"

"It is, miss," the carpenter spoke up. "Your uncle is right. It's best for you to get up top and into a boat before they're all gone. Thomas, we've got to go - we'll be late for the briefing…"

As he turned back to nod to his companion, she remembered some certain statistics that she had hoped would never need to be important. "Uncle Thomas, wait!"

She threw her lifebelt off to the side as she quickly went up to her uncle. "I need to go down to the third class area."

"What? Why?"

"Two of my friends from Queenstown are sailing down there."

"Siobhan…"

"No. Uncle Thomas, a very wise man once taught me to never leave my friends behind. They're all you have in this world with exception of your family. Now, is that certain man going to go against all he's taught me and tell me to abandon my friends?"

He looked into her blue eyes and knew that he had indeed taught her to never leave a friend behind. "No…" he said to her softly. "Just be sure to get back up to the boat deck by 1:30 at the latest - the lifeboats will be going fast. You **will** get on one."

She nodded to her uncle, who turned back to the carpenter who was with him. "Come on, or we're going to be late…" With that, the two took off at a run towards the Grand Staircase. She turned back to her stateroom and slid on her lifebelt. She then slid on a lifebelt, grabbed a large overcoat from the closet inside her room, and went to try and find a back way from the First Class areas to the Third Class areas.

()()()

As she passed the grandiose clock in the Grand Staircase, Siobhan took a note of the time - it was about fifteen minutes after midnight. She could see the passengers start to congregate in the Grand Staircase as well as stewards handing out lifebelts as well as glasses of brandy for the gentlemen. She proceeded outside when she reached the boat deck.

Right when she got outside, she winced as she heard steam suddenly shoot out from the vents on the stacks. It was ear splitting for those people who were out on the deck, and she could even see a few of the crewmen cover their ears as the others went about readying the lifeboats for launching. It truly was happening…Titanic was damaged beyond repair and she would founder - when, she didn't know. Her eyes drifted to the entrance of the Grand Staircase right behind her. Would the other passengers believe that the Unsinkable Titanic would meet a watery grave - or would it be too late for them?

"Miss Andrews!"

She turned to her right and saw Officer Wilde approaching her. "Miss Andrews, why aren't you inside with the others? We aren't going to begin loading the lifeboats for another ten or fifteen minutes or so."

"Mr. Wilde, I need to get down to the third cabin as soon as I can. I need to get some people out of there before this gets too bad."

"Siobhan, you can't. You of all people should know that the passenger/lifeboat ratio isn't in favor of those in Third Class."

Her face crinkled in rage. "Mr. Wilde, my friends are down there. I will not stand around and watch them die. I'm going to do this no matter what - but if you try to stop me, it will just take longer…"

He sighed in defeat, knowing that she meant every word she said. "Get down to Scotland Road. That will be the quickest way you can get there. There should be a door to the First Class area somewhere around the Turkish Bath. Use that to get back in."

"Thank you," she said as she hurried off.

"Be quick," he called to her. "Be as quick as you can - don't linger too long in one place!" She was gone in an instant…

()()()

It didn't take her too much longer to get to Scotland Road. Shooting down the Second Class stairwell, she reached E-deck in no time and flung open the door. There were indeed crewmembers that were rushing about - and a few third-class passengers were among the mix. She ran towards the area where Owen had once told her where his cabin was.

It took her about 5 minutes to find the cabin and when she tried to bang on the door, she got no answer. "Miss," she heard a voice behind her say. When she turned around to confront him, she saw that it was just a mere cabin boy who recognized her "station" in society. "Miss, check the Dining Hall. Whoever you are looking for will most likely be there."

"Is there a back way I can take? I don't want to go through the main entrance…too crowded…"

"Actually, yes…there is…"

"Take me to it." The boy nodded and began to walk, leading her to her friends.

()()()

It only took a short time to get there, and when they arrived at the side entrance the boy bid her a safe night and left. From inside the hall, she could hear shouts at the main entrance of those who wanted to know what was going on. That didn't concern her, as she saw Owen and Catriona sitting within earshot of the entrance.

"Aye! Owen…Catriona…over here!"

The two looked over as she motioned to them. They quietly hurried over to her as the others continued to yell questions at the stewards.

"Siv…what's going on? We felt a rumble about 45 minutes ago and now the ship is listing quite noticeably."

"I don't know much myself, though Moody came and told me that the ship struck a berg and might sink… He was right… Anyway, I came to get you. They're not going to load the third class passengers until the first and second class women and children are away. There won't be many lifeboats for you guys…there's not even enough for half on board."

"Can you get us out of here?"

"If we move quickly…" At that moment, she saw a family join them. The elder female greeted Catriona with a hug and turned to the first-class passenger.

"Do you mind if they come with us, Siobhan? I just met them when we sailed."

"Only them - too many people will draw attention to us. The stewards will unlock the gates when they're ready. We'll just have to find an alternate route. Come on - up to E-deck." They all headed for a stairwell that they knew would lead up to E-deck.

()()()

"Okay… The entrance to the Turkish Bath stairwell should be right…about…here…" Siobhan ran her hand across the wood paneling of the door in front of them and, when she tried the doorknob, saw that it was locked. "No!" She knelt down and touched the edge of the carpeting, recognizing what little there was to be the pattern of the hallway.

"They locked it so the third class won't get in," she said while turning to the group. "We'll have to find another way."

"Can't you find the key for it?"

"There's no time," one of the members of the Scottish family said. She pointed to the end of the hallway. "Look…water's coming in."

Indeed it was true. The water that was pouring into the first watertight compartment had filled to its entirety and was spilling over the bulkhead. Siobhan cursed to herself as she realized that the bulkheads didn't stretch as high as she had hoped. "It's going to come in quickly. Come on!" The group went running down the hallway, passing some foreign passengers who were trying to navigate their way around the lower decks in order to try and find their way up top.

She frantically looked around until she noticed a stairwell just up ahead. This one was not barred and locked like the other third class gates.

"This way!" She motioned to the stairs, and the group ran blindly ahead, unaware of what would eventually begin to happen.

**__**

Yellow-faith: Yep, he finally got what was coming to him! It also gives Lowe another reason to dislike him…that will come around in the next few chapters…eh…yeah… Anyway, have fun watching the Olympics and here's the next chapter for you!

Liz: Well, Andrews never really liked Ismay to begin with. Andrews was the one who wanted to put in lifeboats to cover the entire group of passengers on board but Ismay thought it would look "too cluttered." Who won out? Take a guess… So yeah, a lot of people think that he's quite arrogant and self-centered, so Andrews had no problem in backing her up. LOL - I tried to get the chapter up as soon as I could, but a) my internet was down and b) I'll admit, it was hard writing that chapter to just (basically) fill time! The chapters will be coming a bit faster now, but come Saturday (eep!) I'm moving for college so it'll be a bit before I get the chapter up. So, until next time, enjoy! (BTW - I'll keep your suggestion in mind, but I'm not going to try to think about it too much because knowing me I'll never finish this one…so yeah…)

An extra special thanks goes out to evilspoofauthor2Cassi who has been keeping me on track (for the most part - lol) on the intimacies of all things Titanic. She's actually doing a Titanic spoof - so GO READ IT! Its quite hooking, she has some very interesting (not to mention amusing) ideas, and there's going to be a new character joining as of the next chapter! Yep…it's Siobhan! Go read - AND REVIEW - it! 


	9. Midnight, Lowe

April 14th, 1912

9:45 p.m.

Lowe arrived back at his room only to find it to be quite stuffy. Everything seemed to be heavy inside it, and he took into account that he hadn't been inside his room all day. He cracked open his window and laid down on the bed. He took off his jacket beforehand, however, because he would need to look nice when he took his place on the bridge for his shift at midnight. As soon as he set his head upon the pillow, however, he felt his eyes begin to shut and he succumbed to slumber a few minutes later.

(11:45 p.m.)

Fourth Officer Boxhall was still in disbelief that they had hit the iceberg. The Titanic - the so-called "Unsinkable" ship, had hit an iceberg. Captain Smith had gotten to the bridge not even 2 minutes after the initial shock of everything had passed. It had seemed that he wasn't asleep like he said he was, but he was actually in the chart rooms plotting the course for the next day. After Mr. Murdoch had told his captain all that had happened, he had sent for the carpenter to sound the ship, Mr. Moody to rouse Mr. Andrews, and himself to go wake up the other officers.

He arrived at the first room not even 30 seconds after he had received his orders. "Mr. Lightoller," he said while flinging the door open. "You are needed up on deck. Captain's orders."

"Joe…?" He looked over to him.

"Everything will be explained up there, I'm presuming. The captain is meeting with Andrews and Hutchinson soon - we've hit a berg. Captain Smith will give us orders after he hears what they have to say." He didn't stick around to hear a response, but he went right on to the next two rooms to rouse Pitman and Lowe.

Officer Pitman wasn't too hard to get up - in fact, he was already awake. He quickly put on his uniform and went out onto the bridge. Lowe, however, was in such a deep sleep that he could probably sleep through the apocalypse.

Before he managed to get Lowe up, he heard Lightoller's voice from the end of the hall. "Boxhall, you need to go calculate the ship's position. Order just came back from the Captain."

"All right. I just have to get Harry up."

"Okay…hurry up…"

With that, the Fourth Officer opened the door. "Harold. You need to get up and get dressed - you're needed on deck."

"…Right…"

The soft answer was enough for the officer, who then headed to the chart room to begin his calculations. However, what he didn't realize was that he was still sound asleep and had just let out a subconscious answer without realizing fully what was going on.

(12:15)

"Do you actually think I'm going to get out on one of those things?"

"Oh, I know dear… They'll probably just launch them tonight and we'll all be back on the ship by morning."

The conversation slowly brought Lowe back to consciousness, of course very groggy and disoriented. After focused his mind on the "here and now" he realized that there were passengers outside on the boat deck. In the middle of the night. Not to mention on the Officer's Promenade.

He stood up on his bed and peered out of the window. Indeed there were First Class passengers all fully dressed with lifebelts on. His first thought was that of a lifeboat drill, but it was also the middle of the night. There were only boat drills in the middle of the day…when the ship was standing still. He was quiet and listened to the movements of the ship, tuning out the voices of the passengers on the ship.

There WAS no movement.

What time is it? What's going on?

He felt around in the dark for a flashlight and, finding it next to his bed, turned it on and found his clock on the wall.

"12:15! My shift… Bloody hell…I overslept!"

With that comment, he shot out of bed and quickly dressed in his officer's uniform. It didn't take him long to complete the process because it was right next to him. After he had tied on his last shoe, he was out the door and hurrying to the bridge.

When he found that no one was out on the bridge, he went and found First Officer Murdoch, who was unsuccessfully trying to load Boat 3. "Mr. Murdoch… What's going on?"

"Ahh…Harold…where have you been? The Captain has ordered lifeboats to be launched. Here…help me with 5." He took the hand of another first class lady and brought her to the boat.

"Okay…just give me a second. I've got to run back and get something…" With that he ducked back into the bridge and went back to his room. There, under his bed, he drew out a box. Inside was a pistol. It was a Browning automatic, in fact - his own weapon. He checked to make sure it was loaded if needed and put it in a safe place in his jacket (holster and everything). With that, he went back to the dock to begin loading passengers.

He went over to a couple who were standing off to the side. "Ruth," he could hear the husband saying to his wife. "Its time for you to go onto the lifeboat."

"But dear, must I really? It so cold out there; I'd much rather be on the ship where its warm."

"Ma'am," Harold said to her. "It's a good idea to get into the boat. I cannot stress it enough." The tilt of the deck was already growing noticeable under his feet - this was really happening.

"See? Go onto the boat." Her husband gently pushed her towards the officer. He noticed her hesitance almost right away.

The officer looked back to the boat and saw that Murdoch had indeed put men in the boat. "Ma'am," he spoke up, "If there isn't any more women here to go onto the boat then you are more than welcome to have your husband join."

"Ruth? See? I'll be along shortly." This seemed to have satisfied her as she let go of her husband's arm and allowed herself to be placed in the boat.

In the midst of the persuasion, however, he heard another voice join in the commotion. "Come on! Come on! Quickly, get in the boat! Let's go!" He turned and saw Mr. Ismay, urging the passengers to get into the boats.

He heard Murdoch cut off the loading and command Pitman to take control of the boat. "Lower away! Lower away!" Lowe could hear Ismay rambling on like an idiot as Murdoch moved over to Boat 3. Obviously he was expected to lower the boat while his senior officer began to load the next one.

"There is no time to waste…lower away!"

The White Star President came up to him and ordered him to get moving on his lowering. He couldn't take it anymore - he wasn't about to take orders from a passenger.

"If you will get the hell out of that then I shall be able to do something!" Ismay looked dumbfounded that an officer would be more than willing to talk to him like that.

Lowe continued, "Do you want me to lower away quickly? You will have me drown the whole lot of them."

He turned away quickly and headed to the next boat, helping to get people into it. Lowe turned and caught the eye of Pitman, who had a smirk on his face. "Get ready to lower!" He saw that the crewmembers were indeed in position. "Lower away!"

As soon as Boat 5 hit the water, Lowe moved over to help Mr. Murdoch with Boat 3. He saw Ismay trying to help and, when they met eyes, he instantly looked away.

"Lower away!"

Murdoch took command of the lowering of Boat 3. "Will," Lowe asked him. "Should I begin lowering boat 7?"

"Actually, I'm sure that Lights needs some help on the other side. I'm sure that he's on the aft starboard side loading boats there." With that, he turned back to the attention of lowering the boats.

Lowe made the climb up to the port side. It truly started to feel like a climb because of the sharply tilted decks. He could begin to feel panic in the air.

He came up next to Moody, who was just arriving to help load the boats also. "Hey…Jim…what are you doing?"

His friend looked over to him with narrowed eyes. "I'm loading the boats…what does it look like I'm doing?" Lowe just realized what he said. Moody just laughed it off, patting his friend on the shoulder and smiling before he turned back to Boat 16.

"Have you seen Siobhan?" His friend glanced back over to him and shook his head sadly.

"I'm presuming that she's already on a boat."

Lowe nodded, hoping that was true. He took up a post at Boat 14 and in turn began to load it.

Lowe had no problems filling the boat. In fact, there was a crowd pushing in on him and Moody, and he was afraid that the crowds would swamp both his boat and his friend's. The second officer was trying to keep them back as best as he could but it seemed that he was not having any luck.

"Back away from the boats, damn you!" Lowe pushed away men who were inching up to jump into the boat. "Back away!"

Lights put the last passenger into Boat 14 and, looking back, he saw several men break forward in an attempt to rush the boat. In an instant, he whipped out his revolver and turned around, brandishing it towards the men.

"Keep order! Keep order I say!" The running men instantly stopped; some fell backwards. All of them backed quietly up and joined the crowd, who fell silent. They could hear commotion coming from other parts of the ship but it was apparent that this corner was completely silent. About 30 seconds later he turned around and the three officers could hear murmurs coming from the crowd.

"Mr. Lowe…command this boat…"

Lowe's eyes widened as he saw his senior officer snap the gun open and begin to load it. His hands shook as he loaded the gun with bullets. The fifth officer stepped in eyesight of the crowd to Lights and told two of the seamen to join the boat in order to help man the oars. However, it was mainly meant to leave the restless passengers in the dark that they had been tricked.

"Right," he said after the gun was loaded. He stepped into the boat. "Is everyone okay?" He got a few nods and replies from them. "Right then. Lower away!" As the boat jerked downwards, he caught his friend's eye. The two mouthed their farewell to each other, somehow realizing that they wouldn't see each other again.

(((1:35)))

"Lower away!" Moody stood up at the top of the deck, watching Boat 16 jerk its way down the falls. He could see that his friend's boat had gotten down safely and began to slowly row away from the ship.

When it was about half-way down the hull, he heard an all-too familiar voice behind him.

"Mr. Moody! Jim!"

He turned around from where he was standing, grimacing when he saw who it was.

**__**

…And that's it for now. I know, cliffhangers can be evil, but I want to get this next chapter out before I leave…and I still have some packing to do! Gah! So yeah…this is the last chapter before I move so I'll get the next one out ASAP!

Cassi: Here's more for ya! Lol - she's going to LOVE Lady and the Tramp…and she's getting familiar with the bathroom, I'm afraid…heheheh… Anyway, can't wait for more from your spoof!

Yellow-faith: I've already got the sinking planned out… Unfortunately, I've gotta let Ismay get to a lifeboat and off of the ship…I want this to be as historically accurate as I can get it so that means that Ismay's going to get off in Collapsible C (as always…sigh) Anyway, I must not say anymore because I might give off the outcome of the sinking but I'll say this: look in the previous chapters for a bit of foreshadowing!

Cerrita: My story did THAT?!? teary eyed That's beautiful…really…it is… I'm sorry this is so short but I'm afraid that anything I say will give away some future plans for the story! You'll just have to read future chapters and get at what I'm saying!

(((psst…see that little button? Its wanting to be pushed! So…push it!)))


	10. 1:15 am, Siobhan

**_Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay in posting, but I'm now officially settled into the college life and I've been busy with pulling 20 hours and 4 music ensembles! GAH!_**

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**_Anyway, here's the next chapter!_**

April 15th, 1912

1:15 a.m.

After several twists and turns, Siobhan found herself and the group in the midst of the First Class Dining Saloon. When she turned around, she saw that the group was in awe of the splendor that surrounded them.

"Is this really First Class?"

"Aye, Catriona. It is. It is indeed First Class."

"Come on," Siobhan said suddenly. "We've got to go."

At that moment, the group took off through the Dining Hall and reached the Grand Staircase. "Oh, wow," she heard the group say as they arrived at the entrance to C deck.

"Come on," their leader said. "I need to stop by my room for a quick second. I need to get something that's important to me. Quite important. Come on." With that said, she took off down the hall towards her room.

It only took them a few minutes to get to her room from the C-deck of the Grand Staircase. "Siv," Owen said. "The ship is tilting. We've got to get up top."

"Hold on," she said. She opened her door and quickly went to her dresser. She knew exactly where to go as she opened her top drawer, drew out a necklace, and quickly put it on. She didn't care if it was clashing with her outfit or not.

"Come on," she said while shutting her door. She began to take off towards the Aft Grand Staircase while the group behind her followed her. "It was my mother's…" she said to the group when they reached the Aft Staircase. "I got it when she died."

They all began to journey up to the top of the Staircase, but it only went as high as the A-deck. Siobhan let out a quiet curse and then she ran into the first door she saw – the door to the First Class Smoking Room. Their group followed her into the room, solely depending on her to lead them where they needed to go.

"Siobhan?"

She stopped running as she heard her name from someone not in her group. She turned and saw her uncle.

"Uncle Thomas?" She ran forward to give him a hug.

He embraced her in his arms. "Why aren't you off on a boat? I told you to be back by 1:30…it's that now and you're not up on the boat deck!"

"We're going up there now…but why aren't you getting on a boat? You should get off too…"

"Siobhan, there are just some things you won't understand."

"No. Thomas Andrews, you are getting in a boat."

"Don't pull that kind of voice with me, Siv! You know that whatever I say pretty much takes higher authority over your commands."

"But Uncle…"

"No. No buts…Siobhan, its time for me to move on. Titanic is sinking – a part of me is dying and its time for me to go with it."

"But what about Elba? Aunt Helen!"

"They know how much this means to me. Yes, I will admit that it will hurt them at first but they know that I want to just go with my life…my sweat and blood was put into this ship, Siv. You have to understand that."

The red-head looked close to tears. "Uncle Thomas…you can't do this. I won't let you. I'm staying here."

She took a seat in one of the chairs. The group who was standing behind her looked towards each other. "I'm not leaving you, Uncle… Dad…"

"Siobhan Rhiannon Andrews, you had better get on up to the boat deck with your friends…" He sat down next to her. "I'm not making a request of you…this is an order. You are too young to have your life cut down. I have lived my life, done what I have needed to do. Its time for me to go."

"Siv…come on. We have got to get going…" Owen came up behind her and took her shoulders. He tried to pull her back but she didn't move.

She broke herself away from the grip of her friend and threw her arms around her uncle. "Good-bye," he whispered in her ear.

She pulled away and looked like she wanted to cry, but she held back her tears. He reached behind him and gave her a glass of reddish liquid. "Here. Drink this. It will help with the water." Indeed, it was brandy. He offered her friends glasses too. They all finished the drink rather quickly and began to head towards the entrance to the Verandah. After one last look back at her uncle, she went through the door. He closed his eyes and turned back to the painting – after all, he was getting ready to eternally be with his life's dream…

As soon as they got outside on the A deck, Siobhan cursed to herself. "We need to get up to the boat deck, but there is no entrance near here."

"There's one down a deck…to the Second Class Staircase."

"But how will we get down there?"

Owen climbed over the railing. "We jump," he said right before he jumped and landed. He narrowly missed a group of people who were trying to get up to the boat deck. He stood up and held out his hand to the next person. "Come on…I'll catch you…"

Siobhan climbed over the rail and jumped down into the arms of her waiting friend. Following the example of the make-shift leader the group followed her down to the lower deck. "Okay," she said after everyone had gotten down. "Come on. Let's go before all of the boats have left." They all began to run into the port side door of the Second-Class stairs. Before Siobhan went inside, she noticed that there was a lifeboat lowering right behind them. She didn't think about staying before then, but she also didn't realize that the lifeboat being lowered was Boat 14.

Owen flung the door open and the group ran out onto the boat deck in the midst of the confusion. The group followed behind and saw that a lot of the boats were lowered and there were a precious few boats left. "They're gone!" Owen turned to the others.

Siobhan turned around and saw a familiar figure off to the starboard side of the ship. "Moody!" She ran forward and called out his name again.

"Siobhan Andrews…why are you not on a boat?"

"Never mind that…where's Harold?"

He pointed down to the boat that was just pulling away from the ship on his side. "You just missed him…"

"You mean he's already gone?!?" A sense of dread filled her mind as she turned to the group… She may never see her love again and it was all her fault for not listening to her uncle…not to mention the man standing right next to her.

"Jim…is there any more boats still waiting to be loaded?"

"There should be some more up front. If they've set off boats 1 and 2 then we will get down the Collapsible boats. I will probably need some help, though…"

"I'll do what I can." She turned to her friends. "The slant of the decks is getting to be quite prominent. See if you can somehow get onto a lifeboat. If not, try and stay out of the water for as long as you can…it is cold out there." With that said she gave Owen and Catriona a hug and set off with Moody down towards the bow of the ship.

"Damn it…they've sent off the last of the boats…"

"Not quite…" Moody motioned up to the collapsible boats, which were being uncovered by a few of the seamen. Siobhan didn't say anything, but she climbed up the ladder to the top of the group of rooms for the officers and select crew. Of course even while the ship was sinking she got a few looks from the remaining first class ladies on her "vulgar" behavior.

"We need to get this boat down…"

"Moody…which one is this?"

"It's the collapsible boat A. Come on…we're going to need to think of a way to get this down…"

With that said they joined some of the A.B. Seamen and tried to think of a way to get the boat down from the roof of the boat deck cabins.

"Should we lower it by a rope?"

"What about using the oars?"

"They're too weak…we won't be able to do it…"

"We've got to try…"

Siobhan looked over the side and noticed that the forward well deck was completely under the water. We have to do something soon, she thought to herself. Turning around to the boat, she saw that some of the crew had set up oars in an attempt to act as a sort of ramp.

People started to scamper as they noticed that the ramp was being formed and in turn they all backed away. They watched with anticipation as the crew (plus one) got ready to retrieve salvation…quite possibly their salvation.

"Steady!" Chief Officer Wilde looked over to the crew who had the makeshift ramp all ready. Looking back to the crowd, Siobhan noticed that he began to grow a little bit antsy.

"Siobhan…"

She looked over when her name was called, and she saw that Moody was holding a rope that would hopefully be used to help lower it.

"Siobhan, I'd actually feel better if you were down on the deck. You can help facilitate things after everything gets ready…but you are going in this boat. I'll be damned if I let anything happen to the girlfriend of my best friend…"

She did not know what to say to that, but quietly went down the ladder to the deck. Down there, she was approached by an older red-headed woman who was going about in Gaelic. Her Gaelic was rusty, but she could pick up that she basically wanted to know what was going on. She began to console the woman by telling her that another boat was getting ready and she would be able to get on it when it was time.

All of a sudden, a crash came from behind her sending a shock through her. "Oh, my!" The boat had crashed violently down onto the deck, and luckily it had made it down right-side up.

"Okay," she heard the Chief Officer call. "Let's get the boat hooked up and swung out!"

Siobhan saw out of the corner of her eye that the crowd was pushing up behind him. Ready or not, they were just about ready to rush what would become their savior.

Wilde seemed to have felt the growing anticipation behind him because he whirled around with his pistol ready to fire. The miscellaneous crew had tried to keep the men back as best as they could, but it became quickly apparent that they were not able to do it for much longer.

He raised it above his head and fired twice, drawing a sudden silence out of the passengers.

"I'll shoot the first man who tries to get past me…" He had his gun locked and pointed at the passengers, who had gone quiet but were still jostling. He was overly anticipating the rush onto the boat and, to some extent, was over anticipating the inevitable.

The next events happened so fast that barely anyone could realize what was happening until it was too late. The crowd surged forward in one area of the crowd, pushing a man out in front of the group. Of course with Officer Wilde being on high alert he didn't realize what had happened until it was too late.

A shot rang through the air and, after it caught the attention of everyone around, revealed the motionless body of the man. Soon after, two cries filled the air and out came a boy and a woman – presumably the family of the fallen third class passenger. They were wailing in a language that Siobhan didn't recognize and, glancing over to Officer Wilde, she saw that he was completely shocked.

"Henry…"

She took one step towards him in an effort to console him but she did not see the hand with the gun ready it to fire again. The eyes of the Chief Officer moved over to her.

"Siobhan!" Moody saw what was happening and quickly pulled her back. He turned to Murdoch and gave him one last salute.

"Henry…NO!!!"

It was too late…he silently set the barrel of the gun to his temple and, before the crew could stop him, he pulled the trigger. The body fell off the side of the deck into the water, and none of the people who knew him as more than "Officer Wilde" stared in disbelief.

All of a sudden, Purser McElroy shouted to the crowd. "Women and children! Quickly…women and children!" Madness erupted as the passengers moved forward to claim a spot on the Collapsible boat A.

Officer Moody let go of his "charge." "Go on and get in…I've got to help with the davits so we can get the boat off." She nodded as he began to head over to the boat.

She noticed that the band had begun playing a hymn which she recognized from her childhood as "Nearer My God to Thee" – it was a favorite of her mother before everything…turned bad…

Cries began to fill the air as the sea water engulfed the first part of the boat deck. "Cut the ropes! Cut the ropes!" The crew became frantic when this happened because it was almost inevitable that the ship would drag the boat down with it.

Siobhan backed up when the edge of the water engulfed the deck where she was needed to go. She knew that she couldn't stay there, but in a way this would have been her last hope. Backing up, she caught the eye of her friend. He sawed through one of the ropes and turned to her. "Siv…go!!!" No one had ever called her that besides those whom she was closest to…and yet, she did not protest it. With one last look at her friend before he got out of the boat to help with the last rope, she began the long run upwards to the highest part of the deck which she would be able to get to.

**_Yellow-faith: my first reviewer on my new account! Yay! Anyway, keep in mind that it isn't Lowe - he's off of the ship… but now here is your answer! Enjoy!_**

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**_Liz: Don't worry…this'll only be a two-POVer (did that make sense?) for a few more chapters. Here's the next chapter for you!_**

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**_A fan: Hi! I'm so glad you like the story…there's so much more that I've got planned for this too! Enjoy!_**

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**_Cassi_****_: Calm down…we know how much Cameron didn't read into the story… Just breathe! Lol – anyway, here's the next chapter for you! Update yours soon! :-D Enjoy!_**

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**_And for everyone else…see that button in the left hand corner? Yeah…that one…click it! DO IT!!! I crave reviews…they give me encouragement to take time out of the 20 semester hours to write!_**


	11. 2:15 am, Siobhan

April 15th, 1912

2:15 a.m.

Siobhan moved up the deck as fast as she could, but even sometimes her legs couldn't carry her as fast as she wanted to go. The slope of the decks was getting to be steeper by the minute. She managed to clear the two decks that she needed to clear in order to get to the stern.

She felt the ship groan underneath her as she followed the crowd to the top of the 45 degree slant. It didn't seem like the ship was going to stop moving up to a vertical angle and the slant was getting too steep to continue the climb. She made her way over to the bars that lined the edge of the deck and used the traction allowed by the assistance of them to assist in her climb.

She could only make it so far before she was forced to stop and grab a hold of the bars on the side in order to keep her as close to the ship as she could get. All of the passengers around her who didn't have a firm hold on something attached to the ship began to slide down the almost vertical deck.

However, she didn't notice the groaning beneath her until she felt the ship fall back.

She fell against the deck, wrenching her right arm behind her when she hit. A sharp pain ran through her shoulder as she cried out, but she let go just as easily. She hit the deck while grimacing. "Ugh…" she managed to choke out as she landed on the deck. She didn't waste much time and, even though her head was spinning, she managed to hurry to the back of the stern…

Cries came up from the people who were left on board, thinking that they had been saved and that their prayers had been answered. However, what they didn't realize was the fact that the lull would only last for a couple of minutes.

Siobhan grabbed onto the railing at the end of the stern just before the incline started to drop again. Shouts from those souls that managed to remain on the ship began to resound throughout the air as the stern began to swing up again.

"Oh, God!" She tried to grab the bars with her arms, but felt a sharp sensation race through her right shoulder. Instinctively she let go and held on with her left arm.

_Its not going to stop…its not attached to anything…_

She managed to painfully swing herself up to the point where she was straddling the bar. The incline got steeper and steeper by the second and, just as it was about fully vertical, she managed to pull herself into a kneel on the opposite side of the bars.

In no time flat the stern of the ship was completely vertical. It was extremely surreal; noting the fact that only a week or so ago the ship was known to be "unsinkable." Now, in its last final minute or two, over half of her passengers were either in the water or about to join the group already in the freezing cold ocean.

"Oh, no!"

"Hold on!"

"Help me!"

"Our Father…"

The hundreds of voices around her began to cry out as the ship stood still. The air was thick with anticipation of the final plunge, though the severed half of the ship seemed to have a mind of its own.

Siobhan gripped the bar with her left hand and held her breath. She had no clue where anyone was - her uncle, Moody, Murdoch, Owen, Catriona…Harold… For all she knew, the people whom she had come to know during the voyage could all be dead. Of course, all except for her love, who managed to escape on a lifeboat…according to his best friend.

The descent into the murky black water began slowly and drew many a cry from the terror-stricken passengers. Her heart began to beat faster as she realized that they were now facing the inevitable. The grip on the bars holding her up tightened as she realized that she would be hitting the water sometime within the next few minutes.

"Don' worry, miss," a man's voice said from right next to her. She turned and saw a man wearing what appeared to be a baker's uniform. "Jus' keep paddlin' for the top." She nodded and didn't say anything…

When she was only a few feet from the water, she stood up and prepared to get off of the ship and onto a piece of floating debris - or, if she was lucky enough, to a boat. "Hold your breath!" She heard the baker shout. The water came up too quickly…but after it came over her feet, she panicked. She couldn't get away from the ship - her foot got caught on the bar, dragging her down with the wreckage.

Her mind began to race as she went down with the ship. _I must get my foot out…_

She reached down and tugged at her boot. She felt that one of the buckles was holding it down and managed to get it loose, her foot coming out right away. Her lifebelt began to do its job as she began to move towards the surface.

* * *

_"…and there she is, Siv. Titanic. She is almost ready to set sail…"_

_Andrews held out his hand and helped his niece out of the car. Siobhan took his hand and got down onto the ground. It was apparent that her relative was extremely excited that his baby was just about completed._

_"She's beautiful, Uncle…" She trailed off in awe as she gazed at the gargantuan hull that would soon hold many, many lives._

_"Yes… We've spared no expense, my dear. All the finest wood carvings, all the finest china… we have even kept the third class passengers in mind; the third class areas are equivalent to those first class areas on board the other ships."_

_She took in everything that was before her. "You must be proud, Uncle. She is quite a sight."_

_"Yes, she is. I am very proud of her. So very proud…"

* * *

_

Siobhan was snapped back to reality when her head hit something quite hard…almost like a wooden board. She quickly realized what was going on and put her hands up, allowing herself to feel the way around the obstacle and above the water.

Her head shot up above the surface and she was hit with cries of pain. The people around her were flailing their arms about while trying to get to any sort of floatation device.

"Help us!"

"Please, help us!"

She grabbed onto the chair which she had hit her head on. She was barely able to feel the piercing cold of the sea water that night (thanks to the brandy that her uncle had given her) but she knew, almost instinctively, that she needed to pull herself up out of the water. Who knew what sort of damage was already done?

She did not know where her uncle had gone. She had no idea where Lowe was floating in the endless void that had become the sea around those in the water. All she could do now was wait…wait for the help that would hopefully come…but a part of her began to doubt what she yearned to hope was the truth.

The voices slowly began to grow quiet. All of Siobhan's sense of time had become disoriented. Was it anywhere near the morning? Was it anytime near daylight? She had felt the brandy that was in her system wear off a while back. Oh, how she wanted the numbing feeling in her body again. She did not like feeling pain throughout her body due to the bitter cold…

She slowly turned her head to the right and saw a lifeboat floating about 50 feet from her. At her first glance she thought it was the lifeboat that had been sent back to save them. However, she took a second glance. This boat was sitting rather low in the water. It also wasn't too packed…but were any of the lifeboats really filled to capacity? Maybe she would be able to get on this one…

She silently slid into the water. Her body was so stiff and numb that she slid in with ease (aside from cringing due to the pain, thanks to her new surroundings), but her entrance was followed by a slapping of the water from her floatation device. The noise didn't faze her too much; her mind was only on one thing: get to the boat.

She got up near the boat but couldn't find the strength to draw the passengers' attention to her. Her heart sank as thoughts of death came flowing through her mind. She slapped the water out of frustration; the sudden burst of energy coming out of nowhere. Her legs began to paddle and her arms continued to move out of an effort to keep the blood in her flowing through her limbs.

Suddenly, like an answered prayer, she saw a face looking down on her from the boat. It was Owen. _"Owen,"_ she thought to herself, struggling to call out his name. She saw him turn back and argue with the other passengers on board, but only a few minutes later she saw them form a human rope to get her on board. She was going to be okay.

* * *

(5:30 a.m.)

She was snapped out of her reminiscent state of mine as she felt someone poking her in the ribs. "Are you all right?" Owen brushed a piece of fallen hair out of the way.

"Yeah," she said as she smiled at him. "Just out of curiosity…" She trailed off, not wanting to say what she had feared.

A smile came across his face. "She's right over there," he said softly as he nodded his head towards the dazed woman sitting on the other side of the boat. She could see that just beyond her friend Catriona, the very first rays of the new day began to peek over the horizon.

Siobhan knew that in a couple of hours she would feel the sun shining upon her numb body once again. Oh, how she yearned for that feeling…

Owen put his hand on her shoulder. "It'll be all right," he said. "Once we get on the rescue ship, I'm certain that you'll be reunited with that man of yours…" A grin came across her face.

"Aye…I sure do hope so. And hopefully once we get to America, I'll have someone meet me there."

"Anyone come to mind?"

"No. We'll have to see."

He would have continued the conversation, but there was a cry from the other end of the boat. "There's a boat! With people!" She turned and saw that indeed it was true. Other people began to realize that they were saved.

"Over here!"

"We're saved!"

"Come about!"

People began to wave their arms in the air in an attempt to gain the attention of the person who was manning the boat. They seemed to have had success, as the more alert passengers saw the approach of the boat move so it was coming towards them.

"Let's get those who need it ready to transfer," Owen said trying to rouse those who weren't doing as well as the others. "Come on!" Siobhan took the hint and began to move as best as she could around to the other passengers, trying to see who needed into a dryer boat more. As she came upon those people, she tried to move them up towards the front.

* * *

The lifeboat came alongside the half-sunken collapsible lifeboat with just enough room for the people on board. Lowe had to move a couple of the few passengers already on lifeboat 14 around in order to give them enough boarding room and, stepping over into the other boat (while hitting a shallow puddle of water at the same time), he began to take some of the passengers from the collapsible boat into his.

"Step lightly," he said almost absentmindedly. After all, he kept saying that a lot earlier that morning. He took the great majority of the passengers and quickly helped them in. They took seats in Boat 14, relieved to be out of the water that was in their boat all night.

Lowe just about had gotten all of the passengers in when he heard an all-too familiar voice. "Go ahead, Owen," the female had said. He snapped out of the passive state of mind that he had fallen into. He reached for the male who was coming towards him and brought him over. He could almost feel his heart stop as he saw who was behind him.

She was leaned over, feeling the pulse on one of the three bodies that were left behind. However, he could have known that red hair anywhere. That red hair that always had the faint smell of juniper…that belonged to the Irish maiden that had won his heart over in less than a week.

"Siobhan?"

She stopped moving and slowly stood up, turning around and meeting eyes with him. Indeed it was her.

His heart really almost stopped from joy. She was alive…Siobhan Andrews, the keeper of his heart, had survived the night.

****

All readers: sorry about the delay! I've been insanely busy…long story…

Cassi: Here's an update for you…sorry about the delay…but when are you going to update your story? And did I ever e-mail you back my answer? If not, let me know…I'll send it right along!

Liz: Sorry about the delay! I'll hopefully get at least 1 more chapter out before I have to leave again after the new year!

Yellow-Faith: Sorry about the delay. Here's another chapter - and the story is no where near from being ended…though there's a few more chapters in this story (there's a sequel in the works!). Enjoy!


	12. And So Life Goes On

After Siobhan was safely settled into Lifeboat 14, her fears began to ease up slightly. They did not go away fully; after all, her world (as well as those around her) had just gone out from below everyone only a mere few hours ago. Now, however, being reunited with Lowe, she felt like she was safer. She still had to reach over and touch him, however, in order to reassure herself that this was not a dream and she was really with him. Being greeted each time with a smile, a pat, or sometimes even a kiss, she knew that deep down things would be just fine.

It felt like ages until it was light enough that they saw the Carpathia. In fact, the passengers were so relieved to see the ship that many thought it was a gift from heaven. From what she could see over the quiet ocean, there were already a couple of lifeboats alongside her and there were more that were making their way to the liner.

It was quite a chore to get all of the survivors on board. Not only did they have the frostbitten limbs and exhaustion but the lifeboats to worry about also. However, the crew of the Carpathia took everything as it came and had come up with some very successful ideas to combat the obstacles presented to them.

"Okay, Siv," Owen said while placing his hand on his friend's back. "You're next. Can you take the ladder?"

"Oh, no," she replied. "Not until you're on board. I'm not going to leave until you're okay."

"Siv," Lowe interrupted, coming over. "He's right. Don't worry - he'll soon follow." He was answered with a begrudged look from her, but she didn't say anything. She took the ladder rungs and tried to climb up, but felt a searing bolt of pain through the shoulder & arm that were injured in the sinking. She fell back into the boat, aided by her two male companions, and after she recuperated from the sudden shock of pain, crawled into the bag that was hanging over the side for those who weren't able to manage the ladder.

"Don't worry, dear," the officer called after her as she was being hoisted up. "I'll send the first doctor I see to examine your shoulder." She nodded as she looked up, drawing closer to the deck.

The Irishwoman took the hands of the two crewmen at the top and was helped on deck. Cringing from the slight recurrence of pain from her shoulder, she slowly turned her head to the right and was greeted by Catriona, a blanket, and a mug of warm milk. "Ay, Siv," her friend said. "I got us a spot over there for the three of us." They both went over to a bench that was sitting alongside the railing. Owen joined them a few minutes later. She presumed that Lowe had his duties to attend to; she didn't even see him get on board the Carpathia.

* * *

Siobhan turned outward and gazed over the ocean. There were only a few pink and red rays left from the sunrise; indeed it was truly beautiful. However, her heart went out to the people that were seeing this too because she knew that **so** many people didn't get the chance to. 

_Uncle Thomas…_

Her thoughts drifted back to one of her few friends, confidantes, and her father figure. Had he come to his senses and gotten to a lifeboat? She had to find out…

"Name, miss?"

"Siobhan Andrews." As he wrote it down, she asked, "Please, sir. Can you tell me if my uncle is on the list?"

"What's his name?"

"Thomas Andrews…" He quickly scanned the list and, as he began flipping the pages, she began to feel a feeling of quiet dread.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I'm not seeing him on the list. He could be on another one, but if I may be frank, I'm afraid the chances are not looking good for him."

A feeling of cold numbness swept over her body. "Oh," she managed to choke out. "Well, thank you…" He nodded to her and moved off. She glanced back over the side of the ship to the two remaining lifeboats that needed to unload their passengers. Not seeing her uncle made the harsh realization a reality. As she looked up and glanced to an iceberg that was nearby, she could feel a tear starting to run down the side of her cheek. She knew without anyone having to tell her that her uncle had stayed true to his word - he had went down with his life, his hope, his dream…Titanic.

* * *

(April 17th, 1912) 

A couple of days drug by after the Carpathia left the wreckage site for good. Lowe visited as much as he possibly could, but he also had a whole lot of new duties that he had been assigned to take care of. She understood that he was busy, but at the same time, she longed for his companionship after what had happened to them. However, he was true to his word, and he sent over a doctor to examine (and eventually set back in place) her dislocated shoulder. While she was happy about this, they also were forced to put her arm up in a sling - that, of which, she didn't like so much.

"Siv, I must go and help with the name collecting. I'll definitely do all I can to be with you when we arrive at New York." With that Lowe stood and, putting his hat back on, headed over to join Lightoller and Pitman, who were both going over clipboards of their own.

Some time later, she was approached by a steward of the Carpathia. "Siobhan Andrews?" She nodded. "I have a telegram for you. You're quite lucky this got through - our operator was in between messages when it came." She took it and, nodding her thanks, read it over:

My dearest niece: I hope this finds you well. Because of the unknown condition of your uncle, I have sent word to relatives of mine in New York. You are to stay with them until you can obtain passage back to Belfast, either with your uncle or on your own. They will meet you at New York Harbor - their names are Samuel and Eileen Barbour. Aunt Helen.

She then folded the message in half and put it into a pocket. "Thank you," she said, waving off the steward. A sense of relief sort of settled upon her as she realized that she would not be trapped in New York alone. She would have some support of family, no matter how indirect their relations.

* * *

(April 18th, 1912, 9 p.m.) 

Siobhan pulled her blanket closer around her as the rain started to come down on the passengers who were standing outside on the decks. It was only a few hours ago that the word had swept through the Titanic's survivors like wildfire: they were nearing land. This was the moment that they had all been waiting for like crazy; both the third class survivors up through the crew.

"Siv, look!" Catriona climbed up onto the railing as Owen held on to her waist to keep her from going over. "It's the Statue of Liberty!" Indeed it was so. She felt a sense of accomplishment come over her as well as a sense of sadness.

I did it, Uncle Thomas… I made it to New York…

Before she had the chance to tear up, she heard Owen call her name. "Siv," he said pointing. "That man of yoursis trying to get your attention…" She looked in the direction that he was pointing and indeed, Lowe was there motioning for her to join him. She looked back to her two friends and saw that they were telling her to go ahead. Knowing that this might be the last time she saw the two of them, she took one last look and took off, walking quickly towards her love.

Lowe greeted her warmly as the ship made its way past the Statue of Liberty. "Come on," he said quietly to her. "Let's go join the others. They're waiting for us." He was referring to the surviving officers and a couple other members of the crew. They both went up closer to the bridge, where they were reunited with the group that was waiting for them.

Lightoller greeted them with a smile. "Have you got someone to meet you at the docks, Miss Andrews?"

"I do," she replied as she felt Lowe put his arm around her waist. Over the voyage, their relationship was no surprise to any of them and they all seemed unusually accepting of what had happened over the course of one week.

"Do they know to go to the Cunard docks?" Everyone turned to Harold Bride, the only surviving wireless operator of the Titanic, who had been confined to a wheelchair after both of his feet were somehow injured, leaving him unable to walk. Everyone turned to him with a puzzled look; obviously this was news to them. Sensing their questioning, he continued, "I heard Captain Rostron talking about it. They're going to drop the lifeboats at White Star's dock and turn back to the Cunard dock to unload the passengers."

"I hope so," she said in reply. "I sure hope so…"

It seemed to be only a matter of time before the Carpathia pulled up to her dock, getting ready to unload the Titanic's surviving passengers. "We finally made it," Siobhan mumbled to no one in particular.

"Yes…we did…" She felt Lowe plant a kiss on her head as she set her hands on top of his, which were still around her waist. She subconsciously scanned the crowds of people at the dock and tried to see if anyone looked similar to Aunt Helen.

"Siobhan…"

"Hm…?" She barely even recognized that he said something to her; he said it so quietly.

"I…I love you…"

These three words quickly snapped up her attention. She slowly turned her head to face him. "I love you too…" Her sentence was cut short as Lowe, out of the blue, kissed her.

Neither one of them picked up the pair of eyes watching them - that of which belonged to Officer Lightoller. He smiled as a chuckle escaped from his throat. "Crazy kids…" he said to himself. Making a mental note to send a telegram to his wife Sylvia as soon as he could, he moved off to join the other members of the crew who were beginning to move down to the gangplanks.

The time eventually came for the surviving crew members to set foot on solid land. They were greeted by flashing bulbs, reporters, and hordes of people who were crowding the docks. Making their way down the gangplank, Siobhan scanned the crowd once more for anyone who would probably pass for family members of Aunt Helen.

"I'm going over here to see if I can find my contacts."

"Okay," Lowe said to her, making his way along with the rest of the officers. "Come find me before you leave." She subconsciously nodded, but he had a funny feeling that she did not fully comprehend what he said. She was gone from his side, however, and he couldn't make sure that she knew what he asked of her.

He glanced over his shoulder at her and saw that indeed she had found who she had needed to find - as well as a couple of reporters who were trying to hound her for a story. He tried to go over there and stop them from harassing her but he was stopped by Lights, who wanted to tell them that they would be attempting to depart soon. Turning back to where she was, he realized in horror that she was gone.

She was gone. Without a good-bye or any sort of way to get in touch with her…

She was gone.

_Yes, kids…we have another update! Shocker, I know. I'm going to aim for one last chapter in this story in order to wrap things up…though I'll leave open enough for a possible sequel in the future...not right away, though, as I do have other stories I want to update! I'll do shout-outs in the last chapter as I'm dreadfully tired and want to go to sleep…so yeah, feel free to drop a review if you'd like! _:-)


	13. A Second Chance?

NOTE: All the song lyrics are in bold and are taken from the Kelly Clarkson CD "Breakaway." They aren't mine.

****

You gotta be out there  
You gotta be somewhere  
Wherever you are  
I'm waiting  
'Cause there are these nights when  
I sing myself to sleep  
And I'm hopin' my dreams  
Bring you close to me  
Are you listening?

Living among the green of the Barbour Estate (about 45 minutes northeast of New Brunswick, New Jersey) should have brought a smile to Siobhan. After all she was out of the city, away from the press, and no one knew where they had gone (which saved the harassing phone calls to speak with the niece of Titanic's builder…or at least for the time being).

"Do you think that there's something she's not telling us?" Eileen Barbour, who was doing everything in her power to make her sister-in-law's niece feel welcome, glanced out onto the sun deck, where the subject was staring out over the vast 20 acre estate. Her husband walked into the room from the kitchen.

"Well, I have a feeling that we left in too much of a hurry in New York. She might have left someone behind…"

"You mean…?"

"I have a feeling that the officer she disembarked with has captured her heart."

"Sam…we didn't give her a chance to say good-bye or to finalize plans with him."

"Can you blame us? The press were already hounding survivors and crewmen. They would have had a field day if they realized that she was Thomas' niece and the closest person they could talk to in lieu of him." He walked into the kitchen and greeted the cook with a smile. Spotting the day's paper on the table, he made his way over and scanned the headline.

"Eileen…they're beginning the inquiry about the sinking today." Not getting a response from his wife, he continued. "They are probably going to want to include Siobhan in the hearings…after all, she's the closest thing to Thomas Andrews that they're going to get."

She stood and began to make her way over to her husband's side. "When do you think they'll realize she's living with us?" Her question was answered not a moment too soon when they both heard a knock at the door. They met each other's gaze and began to make their way to the foyer, hoping to intercept the butler before he showed who was at the door into the receiving parlors.

About 30 seconds later, they came into the foyer and saw that the butler had already opened the door and greeted the visitor. I'm looking for Siobhan Andrews, the visitor had said.

Before the butler was able to speak, however, Sam was able to intercept him. "She is not entertaining visitors at this time," he said while advancing on the door with Eileen moving right behind him.

"I need to speak with her about a manner of the utmost importance, sir."

"I do apologize, my good man," Sam continued as he came up into the doorframe. "She has suffered quite a traumatic event over the past week. She is not taking visitors until she is able to deal with people once more. Whatever you have to say can be said to us. We will relay to her the message."

"Sir, I have been ordered to speak to her directly. This is in order to ensure that she gets the appropriate information."

"Anything you have to say to her you are more than capable to say to us." It seemed that the master of the house was not going to be able to be swayed.

"Sir…" The man spoke with a warning tone in his voice. However, he saw that Sam was not going to be able to be swayed too easily. With a slight hint of frustration in his voice, he withdrew a paper from a folder that he had with him. "Give this to her. This is a summons to appear at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on the 24th of April to testify on behalf of her deceased relative, Mr. Thomas Andrews."

"I'll be sure to pass this on to her, sir." Sam passed the notice back to Eileen and fixed his gaze upon the stranger on the doorstep. The visitor got the hint that he was not welcome at the house and quickly retreated to the vehicle that was waiting for him at the end of the footpath leading to the porch. The lord and lady of the manor turned and slowly went back inside, contemplating on how to tell Siobhan about the recent news.

* * *

"Are you going to tell her about this?" Eileen motioned to the paper that was in her hands.

"When the time is right. We still have a while longer…"

They stepped into the kitchen and stopped dead in their paths. Siobhan was intently scanning over the newspaper whose headlines covered the outlook of the senatorial hearings into the recent tragedy. Her mind was focused on the content of the article so much that she didn't even look up when the couple had entered the room. Sam looked back to Eileen, who in turn moved the paper to an area that her niece couldn't see offhand.

The look on their faces only said one thing: Did she hear what we said?

However, Siv didn't look up until Sam cleared his throat. "Oh," she said with a nervous chuckle in her voice. "I'm sorry…I was just…"

"Its quite all right, Siv. How are you feeling?"

"Better… Better than I was."

The people stood in awkward silence before the younger woman moved to sit down. The next thing she said gave away that she knew more than what they thought.

"When do you think they're going to be coming for me?"

"What do you mean?" Eileen quietly slipped the notice into a drawer while Sam kept Siobhan's gaze.

"The people who are conducting the inquiries," she said while motioning with her bad arm (which was still kept in the sling). "They'll want me to take Uncle Thomas' place."

"We won't let you go if you don't feel up to it," the elder Barbour said while moving over to his niece's side. "If you don't feel you can face them…"

"Its something I'm going to have to do, Sam." She looked up into his eyes. "I'm going to have to do it for Uncle Thomas. Its just something I'm going to have to do…"

He looked over to his wife and nodded his head, giving her the go-ahead to give her the summons. "A man from the government came by a few minutes ago to give you this. You are to go up in front of the committee on the 24th of April in the afternoon."

"Isn't that the day we figure out if I can take this off for good?"

"That appointment is in the morning. I'm sure it isn't too far away from the Waldorf-Astoria. We'll just get you there right afterwards." She nodded and adjusted her arm within the sling. She had been told by a local doctor (off the record) that she needed to take her arm out once a day and exercise it in order to keep it easily mobile.

"Have you been doing the exercises that Dr. Johansson has been giving you?"

"Yes," she said with a smile. She definitely felt ready to get two arms back.

* * *

****

I woke up today  
Woke up wide awake  
In an empty bed  
Staring at an empty room  
I have myself to blame  
For the state I'm in today  
And now dying  
Doesn't seem so cruel  
And oh, I don't know what to say  
And I don't know anyway  
Anymore

Meanwhile, nestled somewhere within the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, lay a semi-heartbroken officer of the Titanic. Harold Lowe had not been expecting this type of madness after the sinking of Titanic, but it only showed that he underestimated the public. After all, the apparent "unsinkable" ship had foundered under 3 hours after she had struck an iceberg.

Some could have said that was the beginning of the end for all of them.

After they had disembarked in New York, Siobhan had disappeared - seemingly off the face of the planet. Sure, she had said that she was finding her contacts…and she might have been taken away before the press was able to realize her true identity. Couldn't she have tried to make contact with him?

"Okay, Lowe…its time for you to get up." He felt someone sit down right behind him and lightly hit him on his back. He knew instantly that it was his roommate, Mr. Boxhall.

"Joe," he said without turning around. "I'm fine. I actually prefer this…quiet…no press…"

"Aww, come on, Harry. Look, Pitman and Lights have asked us to join them for a drink in one of the lounges. As your superior officer, I order you come along." The Welshman rolled onto his back and looked over to his friend.

"Okay…first of all, you're only a step above me. Its only Lights now that would be able to give orders. Second, that would be on the Titanic. The only unfortunate circumstance to this situation is that the ship happens to be on the bottom of the Atlantic right now." Even though Boxhall winced at the fact that the sinking was brought up again, he saw that Harry had a half of a smile on his face - and that was more than what he had seen since they had disembarked last week.

They would have continued the conversation, but a knock at the door prevented it from happening. "That would be Lights," Boxhall said as he stood up. "Are you sure you don't want to come?"

"Go ahead without me," Lowe said with a smile. "I'm not in the drinking mood right now. Besides…I can get water here."

Boxhall could have slapped himself - he had forgotten that Lowe didn't drink. He admired the man for making that choice and sticking to it. He stood up and went over to the door, meeting his friends on the other side.

* * *

"Lowe didn't want to come along? It would be good to get him out of the room - I don't think he's left since we checked in." Pitman took a drink and looked over to his companions. 

"I've been trying to do so," Boxhall said while leaning back in his chair. "He just doesn't seem to find any interest in doing normal, sociable things. All he has interest in doing is laying around all day…"

Lights had sat quietly, taking in the situation that was presented him. He hadn't seen a strong spark of life from Lowe since…well, since he was with Andrews' niece.

"Curious question," he said out of nowhere. "Has he spoken with Siobhan Andrews since we disembarked from the Carpathia?"

"I don't think so…" Boxhall began putting the pieces together.

"Its her…isn't it? We need to find her…"

* * *

((April 24th, 1912 - 9:30 a.m.)) 

"Siobhan, come on!"

Brushing a bit of dust off of her navy blue velvet dress, the witness went into a small jog in order to catch up with her temporary guardians. She felt freer than ever since the doctor had taken off her sling. Now they had to hurry to get her to that day's Titanic meetings on time.

"Here we are," Sam said as he whipped around and opened the doors to the hotel for the women. "Come on…in we go…" Siobhan was instantly taken aback at the grandeur that was the Waldorf-Astoria. She had never seen anything like it in all of her life.

As she looked up, she felt a hand on her head. "Don't lose your hat, dear," Eileen whispered in her ear, referring to the white straw hat she was wearing. "These people would much prefer it ON your head."

"Sorry…" Siv said with a quiet giggle. She saw Sam go over to the receptionist, who motioned him over to an elevator. She presumed that the elevator operator would be able to take them to where they needed to go.

It was only a few minutes until they managed to reach the conference room that was jam packed with press, survivors, and the congressmen on the committee. Siobhan, Sam, and Eileen exited the elevator and could see that there was indeed a lot of commotion. Cameramen turned to face the trio and they began snapping a lot of pictures.

"Miss Andrews!" She turned to see Mr. Fleet walking towards the commotion. She had met him once during the voyage. She had developed a liking towards the man, taking a fond liking to his sometimes obscure sense of humor.

"Mr. Fleet…its good to see you again. I'm sorry it has to be under such strenuous circumstances."

"I agree," he said before kissing her hand. "I'm sorry to hear about your uncle. Such a tragic loss."

"Yes. I'm anxious to get back to Aunt Helen and Elba." She didn't notice, but Sam and Eileen had quietly ducked out, sensing that they weren't needed for the time being. They were going to pass the day in the city until they were needed to retrieve their charge, whom they had come to love as a daughter.

"Well," Siobhan said. "It seems that the proceedings would like to begin soon. Shall we make our way into the conference room?" Mr. Fleet didn't say anything, but he motioned for her to go ahead. They both entered among the chaos and, unbeknownst to both of them (and the vast majority of the people in the room), she was going to become one of the happiest women in New York.

* * *

****

He's soft to the touch  
But frayed at the end he breaks  
He's never enough  
And still he's more than I can take  
Oh and I don't know  
I don't know what he's after  
But he's so beautiful  
He's such a beautiful disaster  
And if I could hold on  
Through the tears and the laughter  
Would it be beautiful?  
Or just a beautiful disaster?

Lowe and Lightoller, the two officers who were assigned to testify that day, were sitting quietly in the witness section waiting for the day's hearings to begin. Lightoller, being the more observant of the two, looked over to the door and what he saw made his heart skip a beat.

"Lowe."

The younger officer had not been sleeping really well over the past couple of days; the stress of everything in his life was displacing what should have been deep and relaxing sleep. All of the officers had been sleeping in a similar pattern. Lights, being the eldest officer, had done all he could to remain a support system to the younger three officers.

"Sir?"

"Lowe…I think an angel has just arrived for you…" The younger officer followed his elder's gaze and had to take another look. He didn't recognize the outfit and the hair was tied up into a tight bun in the back of her head, but he almost instantly recognized the red hair…the red hair that was characteristic of the stereotypical Irish descendant. He stood up. Was it really her?

The woman's eyes caught his form and he could see her turn back and speak to Lookout Fleet, who was standing behind her. He could see his friend nodding, and almost instantly she whipped her head around. Without missing a beat, she began to make her way towards him - as quickly as she could, it seemed. She tossed all of the "first class behavior" that she had tried to uphold out of the window as she practically threw herself into his arms.

"Harold!"

In the process she lost her hat, but she didn't care - nor did she care about the stares she was getting from the men in the room. Fleet picked up her hat and slightly chuckled as she practically threw herself at him and he caught her. The look on his face was one that neither the crew survivors nor the officers had seen with the young officer ever since that night they disembarked.

The officer didn't know what to say, but he did the first thing he could think of - which was to kiss her. "Don't ever leave me again like that," he said, disbelieving the fact that she was really back with him. "I thought I lost you…"

"I won't leave you anymore," she said, while drawing nearer to tears of joy. "I won't…I won't…I won't…"

And somehow, he knew that the words she spoke at that minute were the most truthful words he would ever hear from her. Ever.

****

And if I could hold on  
Through the tears and the laughter  
Would it be beautiful?  
Or just a beautiful disaster?

THE END…possibly "to be continued"…

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author (a.k.a. me, myself, & I) would like to thank, first and foremost, my unofficial advisor on all things Titanic (or is it "official" now? ;-) ), Cassi. I've tried to keep this story as historically accurate as I could while still keeping the element of historical fiction there…and she has quickly and clearly responded to my every question. Without you, my friend, I couldn't have done it. Thank you SOOOO much!

I'd also like to thank my friend Beth, who served as a source of motivation as well as a "quick question" Titanic advisor. Thanks so much, my dear!

And to my reviewers…

Yellow-faith

Liz

Cheerfulwriter

The Genghis

EvilspoofauthorCassi

Cerrita

A Fan

Dannyboi1689

Kel

Sweet A.K.

Lil-Hellraiser

Star Dreamer Sivy

…thanks for your encouragement! Without it, I probably wouldn't be able to have finished this story. Thanks once again!

And for all the fans of this story…I'm not saying yes to this, nor am I saying no to this. I am musing with ideas for a possible sequel to this. If you'd like to help me muse on some ideas, please feel free to e-mail or IM me.

Otherwise, it has been a wild ride. The base story has been set, and look for possible one-shots and other stories to come in the future stemming on the Siobhan/Lowe relationship!

EDIT: (August 9, 2005) Ideas for a sequel to this are in the works…and yes, including a chapter that I'm sure a lot of the fans will want to see. ;-) I'm going to write several chapters before I even consider publishing it (so I can try and remain ahead). See my profile for more details…though I can guarantee that this won't be published before I return back to school (after August 20th).


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